It's All A Game To You
by Kipsels
Summary: Chelsea has always been a bit of a tomboy, and now that she's finally wriggled her way into the tight knit group formed by the young men in town, she couldn't be any happier. But could a game between a cowboy change all that?
1. The Winning Hand

**A/N: Okay, so this is my first story on Fanfiction, so I'm pretty excited. I know that the Vaughn/Chelsea story line is somewhat generic when it comes to fanfics on IOH and SI, but hey, who doesn't love a moody, silver haired man? Hopefully, this story will come off lighthearted, because I think I'd take a spin on the normal, depressing, angsty storylines I've fallen in love with on them. Mainly because I can't write like that. But, oh well. Here it goes. And I hope you enjoy!**

I flicked a glance at the cards on the table, peeping down at the ones I was dealt for a quick second before flattening them right down again. I was never very good at poker games, after all, at times I could be hot headed and sharp, making it very difficult to produce a good poker face. But tonight had swung my way, at least just a little bit. As we all put in our chips, I took the time to observe the facial expressions of my companions. All of them stoic, emotionless…full of pride. But that was men for you. Denny was never able to keep a stagnant expression for very long though, and he often gave himself away with the spark in his eye. Pierre was different, despite his boyish looks he was always very good at hiding himself away under a sheet of mild irritability. Perhaps he knew that if he lost, he'd have to owe us all big time. Elliot was hard to decipher sometimes too, but not so much that he was an excellent poker player. He just had a habit of covering his face up while he played. Whether it was pushing his glasses further up his nose, or sweeping his strawberry blonde hair out of the way, he seemed to always be fidgeting. The nervous type.

"Chelsea? What are you going to do?" I snapped right back into reality and glanced over at Denny, the one who had asked the question to begin with. I glanced down at my card again, and then the ones that had been placed out in a neat line on the table. I only had a two and a ten. What was set out didn't help to make me a winning hand either.

"I'm folding." I sighed, sweeping my cards along the table, back to Denny who was playing the role of the dealer.

Denny was a good friend of mine, and he was one of the reasons I sat there tonight. With all the men from the island, caught up in a tense match of Texas Hold Em. I was Chelsea. The girl who ran the ranch up north. That girl with the red bandana tied around her head, the girl with the mousey brown hair and the bright blue eyes. The girl who found a night with the boys far more entertaining than anything else in the world. And I was happy with where I was at. I had only moved to the island I called my home a little less than a year ago, but I was also one of the first. The island had been almost entirely deserted when I arrived, and it first started with me, and one other family. Now things had changed. The place thrived on the land, and I didn't care how simple the life was. The life was me.

When more and more people moved in, the young men seemed to form a little…'group'. As far as I knew, they gathered together once a week at someone's house, and had a little man's night in. I didn't know what it was all about, but for some reason, I knew I wanted to be in it. The curious cat that I was, I had to know what went on inside that circle. It was like the gossip corner of the town, or at least, the gossip corner I was interested in. I loved my girls, and sometimes I just enjoyed hanging out with them, talking to them all night about boys, makeup and whatever chickflicks had just come out. But that wasn't always who I was. I worked on a farm, I couldn't be a precious little princess, and that was never my personality to begin with. So when I met the tanned fisherman who went by the name Denny, I finally found a friend I could relate to. And our taste in headgear wasn't the only point of interest between the two of us. He was an amazing teacher, and I learnt everything I knew about fishing from him. I supposed I had Taro to thank about that, the token wise old man of the town, who gave me my fishing rod to begin with. Denny was always up for a good conversation though, so I suppose that it wasn't that surprising that I found a great friend in him.

That didn't mean that I was immediately admitted as an 'honorary man' to their secret little group. It took hard work and a lot of determination before I got anywhere close to where I sat now. And the first thing I did wrong was, well, being born a girl. When I finally wiggled my way through the testosterone wired fence, I came to appreciate just how tight knit the men in town were. People like Denny, Elliot, Pierre and Mark were nearly always present on their little get togethers. The older men, like Chen the merchant and Gannon the carpenter, had a little more difficulty finding the time to attend, after all, they both had young children to take care of, as well as having their time consumed running a shop. There were a few that came on occasion, but they weren't to be considered regular attendees. Regis, for example. He seemed put off by the idea that real money wasn't being used in the game, or at least that's what I had been told. We all lived a simple life, so I guess money wasn't always so easily thrown away. But, the winner still got a fare share of benefits. Food, discounts, free items. The sort of things that just made life a little bit easier.

And tonight was just like any other night. Gannon was there, as well as the younger guys, but there was also someone else that I didn't see around very often. His attendance was quite unique, actually. The pale cowboy, swathed in leather and denim. His silver hair hung around his face, framing his attractive features and hiding his violet eyes from view. The broad rimmed hat only added to the westernised get-up he had going on.

Vaughn.

He was the animal dealer, and only came to the island on Wednesday and Thursdays. So, I guess it was hard to say what he was like. I'd spoken to him, a few times, but nothing ever really came off. I didn't have an impression of him. He hardly talked, and hardly showed any emotions. And, he was engrossed with his job as the animal dealer. But tonight he was just one of the guys, one of the boys, apart of the circle. I decided, in the few short hours we had been sitting there, I was going to giving him a new nick name. The Ultimate Poker Face. Lame, I know, but it was true. The cards would be dealt, he would give them a quick glance, and return to his straight postured position. He wasn't very good at poker, but neither were the rest of us. But that didn't mean he hadn't tricked us all out of something that evening. I myself had lost a few of my valuable crops, but he declined my award.

Suddenly, he glanced over at me, giving me a sharp glare. I looked away, realising that another game had started already. I was used to the harsh looks, he gave them to everyone. And I meant everyone. Not that it made a difference to me. He was a subject of my interest ever since he had arrived on the island. What could I say? He was an attractive young man, and I was a single young woman. Of course I couldn't help be a little infatuated. But it didn't matter, because he was just like every other attractive male out there that I could stare at, except with a quick temper and terrible social skills. He was…socially awkward? Nah, he wasn't socially awkward. He was just completely anti-social.

I took a second to glance over at him again, just as he took a look at his hand. I swore I saw a ghost of a smirk flash across his face. And of course, once again, I was caught looking. So, instead of looking away, I rose a brow at him. His glare only hardened. Oh well, there was never any harm in trying. Perhaps, on the rare occasions that he did join this little group for an evening of friendly betting, he felt like he was being violated by the presence of a woman. Maybe he was gay… It was possible, wasn't it? I never saw him so much give a woman a glance, or at least one that had any meaning behind it. Maybe he was just coming to terms with his sexuality himself.

Ugh, what was I thinking? Back to the cards on the table. I took a glance at the cards I had been given, to find I had a red nine, and a red jack. Not bad, I suppose, but I'd have to wait to see what came out on the table.

"Who would like a cold one?" Denny asked, standing up and stretching. The men all raised their hands in unison, leaving me to look uncomfortable with the idea. I wasn't much of a drinker, and I never really enjoyed the taste of beer. But then on the other hand, I was still on uncertain ground with this little companionship. Wearily, I raised my small, slender hand into the air as well.

Denny counted the hands, though there was little point in doing so, and made a b line for the fridge. He went back twice, probably not to comfortable in carrying out multiple bottles in one go. They went around the table, from one end to the other, until everyone held a bottle in their hand. I stared down at mine, pulled off the top and took a swig with the rest of them. There were mixed emotions, with Pierre complaining that it was not of the finest quality produce. I shrugged it off like a man. That was what I was pretending to be, wasn't it? Denny finally sat to deal the cards out to the table. A black Ace, a red eight and a red two. No luck for me yet, but I'd hang in anyway. I simply called, playing the role of the weary holder. I raised my bottle to my lips again, but stopped when I saw Vaughn give me a suspicious look.

"What?" His oddly coloured eyes simply narrowed further, so I ignored him.

"Anyone know why Chen couldn't make it anyway?" I wondered out loud, consciously trying to diverge the focus from the little hiccup between the two of us.

Gannon answered, his low, gruff voice startling me slightly. "Wanted to spend the night with Charlie." Charlie, of course, was Chen's young son. He was terribly cute, and the fact he aspired to be just like his father made him that little bit more adorable to me.

"Ah, make's sense." I said nonchalantly, glancing in Gannon's direction to my left. I smiled at him warmly. He might have scared me every now and then, but I sort of looked at him like a father. He wasn't the warmest person in the world either, but deep down I reckon he was just a big softie.

We went around the table, making our bets, before the fourth card was flipped out and placed next to the first three communal cards. A red ten. Huh? I looked back down at my cards. Well… this was interesting. I decided, for the sake of it, to raise the bet a few marks, and everyone simply called it. The dynamics of the game were fairly simply, for us anyway. You called, unless you thought you had something, and then you raised, making for a fairly obvious that you had something good. So, I probably just gave the game away. Oh well.

I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of Denny's shack. It was past twelve already. I sighed, knowing that I'd have difficulty getting up early tomorrow, but it was part of living and working on a farm. You had very little spare time, until the afternoon anyway. I picked the bottle I had and held it up to the light, checking for the alcohol content and silently hoping it was light. It wasn't. Ugh, right, well then.

The next card fell…a red Queen! Ha! I'd managed to find myself with a straight. Just my luck. I couldn't lose now, well, not really. The fact they were all red didn't mean much though, they weren't all the same suit. It just made it look pretty though, I guess. One last round of betting went, and I raise the bets even further, taking a risk. Pierre and Elliot looked at each other, nervously, and both folded. Denny never folded, but he himself looked rather put off. Vaughn, of course, remained indifferent with the whole situation. He snorted and grabbed his chips, chucking them in to call my raise, with a few on top to raise it even further. I furrowed my brows, unintentionally losing my poker face for a moment. I called it. For once, both Gannon and Denny fell at the point, leaving just me and Vaughn fighting for the pot of gold. I stared at him, returning the fierce gaze for once. I could never tell what was going on in his head.

"Alright. Reveal your cards." I flipped mine over, revealing my straight. I smirked, triumphant.

Only, he smirked back, twisting his own cards to reveal a black jack, and a red king. I glanced down at them in wonder, taking a while to realise what had just gone down. On the table, lay an ace, a queen, and a ten. He had trumped me. Again.

"Damn! How did you-! Ugh!" I punched the table, rattling everything a bit. I took my bottle and stood, staring down at him. I muttered that I thought mine was prettier, so I should have won it. It didn't count though. "Fine, you win. What do you want?"

He looked up at me, listless. "Nothing."

I frowned, and shook my head vigorously. "No. You can't just pull that? What do you even get out of this? You win half the time, and then you just push your hands back when you're awarded with your winnings. What's up with that!" I took a swig from my bottle, flustered. Denny was looking up at me, eyes wide with surprise, just like the others.

"Nothing. I want nothing. I need nothing." He answered, coldy. I could tell he was mildly irritated now, but that wasn't any different from his usual temperament. I simply mimicked him, and pulled my red bandanna off me head. My brown hair fell down my shoulders, and I turned, bottle in hand.

"I'm going. I need to get some sleep." I huffed, and left the building. They all waved me goodbye, Pierre piping in with a cheery farewell.

No one followed. And I was happy with that. I walked along the beach, my boots sinking into the sand with each step. It didn't make it any easier that my head was mildly hazy, both because of the alcohol I had consumed and because I was ticked off. I wasn't angry at anyone in particular, I was just annoyed that I hadn't been given the opportunity to play my part as a man and give away something I worked hard to earn. I should have been happy that he had declined the offer, because it meant I'd have more revenue when I shipped my items away. I just didn't seem to understand why he wasn't a greedy idiot. If you asked me, I thought the whole greed factor would have suited his whole attitude. Finally, I reached firm ground and rushed up the slight slope that lead away from the beach. I took my time walking home, contemplating my abrupt departure with only for a small fear I might trip over my own feet.

Minutes later, I was flicking on the light of my home and chucking the now empty bottle in the trash. I unceremoniously kicked my boots off across the room, leaving them to lay strewn over the floor with a bunch of clothes I needed to wash on the weekend, and went to collapse on my bed. I was tired, mildly drunk, and annoyed. Perfect combination, don't you think? I turned onto my stomach, too tired to even pull the covers over myself, let alone turn the light on. By the time I got to bed, I hadn't given the night much thought at all, apart from the slight uneasiness that came with every night I left. The fear that they might not invite me back for next weeks meeting always caught up with me before I went to bed. Vaughn's 'polite' declines were the least of my worries, and really, by now I couldn't give a damn what he did. I had nothing to do with them. He was just the supplier of my animals, and that's all I thought of him as.

I closed my eyes and exhaled, finding it far easier to drift into sleep that I had first expected it to be.

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or any of the Harvest Moon Games. They all belong to Natsume Entertainment, and this is just a fanfic written by a devoted fan of the games. **

**N/A: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and there should be more to come in the near future. It depends on how much time I can dedicate to writing this. Bye for now!**


	2. Broody Birds and Moody Men

"Fitzy! Fitzgerald I know you're in there!"

It must have looked awkward. Crouched down on the ground, my left arm hidden away inside the wooden nesting box I had chosen to be my next victim. My ear was pressed up against the wood, listening for the gentle crooning of the chicken that was sitting inside.

Yogurt and Moose were staring at me with their curious little eyes from some distance away. I assumed that they found it all terribly entertaining, because it was the same scenario every morning. After I finished watering my crops, I would tend to my well loved chickens, collecting the eggs and spilling out the mixture of bird seed and hay they ate ritually.

Sometimes, I would take the time and sit with them, talking to the birds like a crazy old lady or something. But there was always a struggle getting Fitzgerald out. My newest chook was not a morning person, or maybe she just didn't like me.

I felt a sharp pain rush through my index finger, and I knew that I had just been pecked. I pulled my arm out of the box and looked in, giving the ruffled chicken in the back corner a sharp glare. "Were you this evil before I got you? I should have named you Vaughn." I hissed at it, and finally got up onto my feet again.

Ha, I made myself laugh at my own sad joke, though I could see the similarities between my chook and the man. I'd try again later, because there was no point trying to lift up an angry chicken.

Dusting off the little bits of hay that stuck to my jeans, I finally left the chicken coop and shut the door tight. Most people probably would have let their chickens out for the day, but I was uneasy. I had seen wild dogs running around lately, and I didn't want to take the chance.

I yawned, stretching my arms up above my head and taking the time to just soak up the sun. I'd fallen in love with the sunny weather that the seasons brought on the Islands, no matter how temperamental it sometimes seemed. Over the course of a year, I'd developed myself a nice tan, which was quite the improvement on the pasty girl I once was.

As I started to walk away from my farm, I wondered if I needed to go see Denny and apologise for the night before. I hadn't acted that badly, but it was probably best to say sorry. I didn't like saying sorry, it involved admitting that you were wrong and that you should probably never do it again. Sometimes it was necessary, but I hated to apologise when there was nothing to be sorry for. That's why I didn't get those people that say sorry every second word. It got on my nerves a bit.

Huh? Where was I? Oh, right, I needed chicken feed. I think… did I? I was having trouble keeping track. My chickens were beasts. Or maybe Fitzgerald ate it all and felt to sick to move in the morning. That _would _make sense.

"Oi, where you goin'?" Someone called out, forcing me to look away from my feet. It was Natalie, Elliot's younger sister. She had a mouth on her, and wasn't afraid to use it. Perhaps she needed to plan something that would involve embarrassing her brother further. I loved doing that.

"Mirabelle's. Chicken Food… Breakfast." I answered, unable to form articulated sentences. What? I was hungry.

"Oh… right. So, what were you doing last night?" She asked, walking up over to me, arms crossed over her chest. Her short, dark red hair shone in the sunlight, matched by the curious sparkle in her brown eyes.

"I was hanging out with the guys, you know? Playing poker, drinking beer, doing manly stuff." I answered, folding my arms in a triumphant stance of some sort.

"You know, sometimes you scare me with your obsession of being like a guy. Seriously, you're taking being a tomboy to a whole new level with this. Why don't you take a break and hang with the girls for once? We kind of miss you." I looked at her, wondering if that was actually what she wanted to tell me.

Knowing her, there was probably far more to it, and in a matter of seconds she was going to go right ahead and tell me. She still managed to get me thinking though. I had been spending a lot of time growing my relationships with the guys in town, so I guess that was putting stress on what I already had with the girls. I probably should spend some time with them.

"Anyway! So did Pierre say anything about me?" Yeah, there it was. The ulterior motive.

"Nope. Why do you ask?" I played it off, brushing my hair out of my face. She huffed, annoyed with my response. I knew she had a thing for the boy-gourmet. I found it odd… I would have never expected her to be into people who looked ten years younger than they actually were. But she was, so I couldn't judge her.

"Come on Chelsea! Don't give me that!" She snapped, stomping her foot on the ground. She seemed to be on the verge of a tantrum, so I raised my hands up in defence.

"Hey! I'm sorry that I can't give you what you want. He didn't say anything."

"Fine… But don't talk to me again until you have info for me."

"Oh, that's nice of you. You really know how to make someone feel like they aren't being used at all." I said, rolling my eyes. I knew she didn't mean it. At least, I hope she didn't. She was just temperamental like that.

"Get lost. Go get your chicken food or whatever." She trudged off, seemingly upset over my inability to give her the information she wanted. Even if I never got a word out of Pierre, it wouldn't have made a difference. He had a thing for her too. It seemed like everyone would eventually make the perfect couple. There was no such thing as love triangles, or complicated love. When one person liked someone, it was generally reciprocated. I just seemed to have missed out on the loop. I really didn't mind though, I wasn't looking for love.

So I continued on my merry little way, a bit of a skip in my step. I was hungry, and I knew food was waiting at the other end. Mirabelle was such a good cook, and what was even better is that she just laughed and handed me a plate when I stood there drooling.

I opened the door to the shop, swinging myself through by the knob. "Mirabelle! Julia! Food!" I called out, finding the front desk empty of the plump, cheery lady who ran the store. I walked right into the kitchen, because I could smell the food. I was hoping it was bacon and eggs.

"Julia. I love you. Now can you feed me?" I said, batting my eyelashes at her.

Julia was a beautiful blonde, with a passion for her work with animals. She was such a fun loving girl, it was hard not to like her. And we were both similar in age, so I guess that always helped. She turned around to look at me, and laughed at my failed attempt to flatter her.

"I don't even know why you bother to ask anymore. You're here every morning. It's like you're part of the family, there's no point leaving out the extra serving anymore." She mused, scraping a few pieces of bacon from the pan and setting it out on a plate, repeating the process with the eggs. "You have to wait for the toast."

I made no objections and grabbed the plate right off her, as well as a knife and fork. I sat myself down at the table, and for the first time realised that the two of us weren't alone.

"Oh, hi Pokey."

Vaughn looked at me funny, unable to interpret my words. It just seemed to make him even more annoyed that he usually was. "What?"

"Pokey." I repeated, my mouth full of egg. "Like, Poker Face. Get it?" He frowned, and continued to ignore me. I just snickered and continued to stuff my face.

"So, other than food, you need anything in particular?" Julia asked me, busying herself around the kitchen and serving out more plates for breakfast.

"Uh, yeah. I need more chicken feed." I muttered, far more interested in my food than talking business at the moment.

"You over feed your chickens. They're fat." She giggled, taking a seat beside me. I just smiled at her, setting my fork down for a short period of time.

"A fat chicken is a happy chicken, isn't that right, Pokey?" No reply. I didn't expect it anyway. Deep down, he probably was thinking that I tortured my chooks or something. "Well, in most cases anyway. Fitzy seems to hate me or something. She's always sitting in her nesting box, brooding away. I tried to get her out this morning, but it only seemed to make her even more aggressive."

Vaughn scoffed, he must have found the whole thing amusing. He was a chicken whisperer after all. "I can understand why she doesn't like you. You're annoying."

"Thanks for the compliments. You're quite the charmer yourself, Pokey." He glared at me, and I smiled back at him with adoration in my eyes. He was so attractive when he glared at you like that. I picked up my fork again, appreciating the arrival of a long awaited piece of toast. I buttered it, and bit into it hungrily. What can I say, I wasn't the most delicate eater in the world.

"You just need to let her warm up to you a bit, Chels. You've only had her a couple of weeks." Julia suggested, tucking into her own breakfast now.

I looked over at her and shrugged. "I guess. But Yogurt and Moose were so quick to love. I just assumed most chickens were like that." I sighed, feeling depressed over my lack of communication with Fitzgerald. Maybe she didn't like the name she had received from me.

"Your animals have idiotic names. It's abuse." Vaughn muttered quietly, I didn't think I was meant to hear.

"It isn't abuse. It's cute." I stated, picking at the scraps on my plate. I would have picked it up and licked it, but that wasn't very lady like, now was it. "Anyway, so, I was thinking… You said you didn't want anything last night, but I assumed you were lying. I plan on taking you out to lunch some time. A big strong man like you needs to eat, right?"

"No. Leave me alone."

"Don't be like that Pokey. I'm a very good stalker, so if you keep on denying me I'll just hunt you down and force you." I smiled at his relatively disturbed expression.

"It's true. She spends too much time with Shea." Julia commented, with a hint of humour in her voice. Though, she seemed just a little bit disturbed as well. "I'd just say yes and get it over with."

"No. And stop calling me Pokey. It's Vaughn." He said, and stood up to leave.

"Are you going to be me and storm off like a short tempered child?" He left without another word. I took his unfinished plate of food, having no qualms pulling it my way and finishing it for him. Besides, it'd be a waste of food. "Where's Mirabelle anyway?"

"She's out with Felicia. They hardly get time to talk to each other, since mum's always running the shop and Felicia is busy taking care of three people all the time. She needs to take more time off. I can handle things around here." Julia sighed, twirling her fork around her strip of bacon.

She was always so concerned for her mother's wellbeing. I guess, when it's just been you and your mum for so long, you really do need to look out for each other. And I'm sure that they both mutually appreciated it, even if it seemed a little odd from the outside.

I loved my own parents, but I guess the dynamic would always be different. Back when I was growing up, I had always wanted to become a vet, and my parents constantly encouraged me to do my best at school. But, when it came down to the wire, I fled, and became your average bummed out young adult, looking for work and taking the lazy route through college to get a mediocre job in the future.

Still, my parents never gave up on me, even if they were a little disappointed when I told them I was going to leave town to start a new life. It was just a coincidence that I ended up on a deserted island, finally getting the opportunity to work with animals on a farm.

"Say, do you think you could get Vaughn to deliver my order for me? I need to go find Denny later, and apologise." I stuck my tongue out like a child, and Julia giggled softly.

"Alright, I'll tell him. Just promise me that you won't tie him up to a poll and force feed him dinner or anything." I look appalled, but I couldn't hold the fake expression too long, before it started to crack away to form a smile.

"I don't think I could deal with the constant glaring I would receive." Licking my fingers, I glanced out the window impulsively. The clouds were gathering, dark and glum. Such a change in weather. "Well, I best be off. Don't want to get caught in a storm." I stood, waved her goodbye, and mentioned I'd put a down payment for the feed on the front desk on my way out.

Now set on a path towards the beach, I continued to keep a good watch on the sky, as well as making sure I didn't trip over my own feet on the cobblestone path.

When my feet met the loose thickets that led down to the sand, I leapt through them, misplacing my foot and landing on my back, tumbling down the slope and bringing all the sand down with me. "Oof." Standing up, I rubbed my sore backside for a moment, temporarily ignoring the sound of Denny's laughter. So he'd seen. Oh goodie.

Or not? I looked over in the direction of his house. He was talking with Vaughn. He was the only one who was amused by their conversation, by the looks of it. I jumped from one spot to the next, trying to keep my balance as my boots sunk into the sand suddenly. Finally, only a few meters away, I waved like a maniac and waited for them to come to me. Always getting the job half done.

"Pokey eh? I like it, Chels." Denny commented, much to a moody Vaughn's dismay.

"I know! Hopefully it will stick, and soon everybody in town will be calling him that." I rose my hands up in the air, signifying 'everyone'. "Oh, by the way… Sorry about last night."

Denny scratched his head through his bandanna. "What? Oh, don't worry about it. I think we were all annoyed at him for his blunt denials."

Vaughn was just standing there, a little way away from the two of us. It was like he wasn't even there, what with the way we were talking about him in third person all of a sudden.

"Really? Good. I know I wasn't being an idiot then." I grinned, proving the fact that I wasn't an idiot, to be completely false. "Do you want to come to my house tonight for dinner? I'll cook a fish dish or something. You might get stuck in the rain, by the looks of it." I tilted my head up, grimacing at the clouds. They ruined everything social-wise. At least they did well for my crop.

"Actually, I'm going to the Diner with Lanna tonight. Sorry Chelsea." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, evidently nervous about his little date with the one hit wonder. I shrugged it off, though I couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

"It's okay. We can do it another time. You're catching the fish though." I laughed, and tilted my body to the side to get a better look at the intimidating cowboy. "Pokey, you're going to be forced to deliver chicken feed to my door later. Just warning you. Oh…And I won't tie you to a poll and force feed you. I promise Julia." He looked at me, annoyed. I could never be embarrassed by these things. I just found it easier to say it out loud before somebody heard it along the grape vine.

I hugged Denny goodbye and went back to the farm. That night, Vaughn dumped my delivery in front of my door without even telling me. I didn't mind, I just wished he hadn't put it right in front of my door and caused me to trip over the pile on my way out the next day.

You never can expect courtesy from a moody man.

**A/N: Aaaannnd, that's it. I know it's probably a little bit of a random chapter, but, there is some good news. Next chapter should be the beginning of the actual story, with an actual plot. Hopefully.**

**Anyway, I think I've figured out that my update schedule will probably be on a Sunday/Monday regime, but it might not be so clean cut for a while. I have a bunch of assignments I **_**should **_** be doing, as well as my School Certificate Exam at the end of the year. **

**We're reading To Kill A Mocking Bird in English now. Someone said 'Tequila Mocking Bird'. It was pretty funny at the time…but now I feel sad that I even bothered mentioning it. *cough***

**Well! You probably didn't read any of that, didja? That's okay, I don't expect you to **

**Bye!**

**Oh, and in the future, an OC of mine might make an appearance. She will be…a femme fatale? Ooo sus.**


	3. Devotion

Numb. It surrounded me, enclosed my entire being and prevented me from feeling anything. I sat there, staring blankly at the wall, void of all emotion. The only thing that ran through my head was that I could have tried harder. I could have _worked _harder. And then everything would have turned out fine…

I wasn't the kind of girl to cry. But that didn't mean I hadn't shed my fair share of tears that day. But there was nothing left to cry out now. There was nothing I could do to change what had happened…

I hid my face in my hands and shuddered uncontrollably for a moment or more. I couldn't tell anymore. As I sat there, closed off from the world, I considered the whole day's events, searching for anything that I could have changed…to stop it.

**XXXXXX**

"You're not serious, are you?" Denny's face looked at me, unconvinced. I smirked, at him and shrugged.

"Might do. It all depends on how it pans out."

"Chelsea… You can't do this…" I laughed, a devilish look crossing my face. Okay, maybe I was exaggerating my plans to him a little bit. It wasn't surprising he looked so nervous. It was involving him and Lanna.

I would have preferred it if I hadn't told him, and just continued with my evil scheming. But since I needed more than one person to help set the whole thing out, I had gone to Elliot for help.

Despite his usual low self-esteem driven acceptance, he had chided me in my rash thinking and told me to notify Denny before I went and did anything. I would have just gone to the next house and asked someone else to help, but I knew the guy was right.

So now I sat across from my best friend on this wonderful Tuesday, toying with the cup of tea I had in front of me.

"Come on, it'll be fun. Might even be worth it." I wasn't going to be able to convince him any time soon. But really, even with my wacky ideas, I had good intentions somewhere behind them. From my knowledge, Denny and Lanna had been seeing each other for a couple weeks. I just wanted them to kiss.

Okay, so maybe I wasn't the best match-maker in the world. But I knew it was going to come some time. So why not nudge 'em in the right direction? And anyway, I wasn't planning on sending them out on a boat and destroying the entire island just so they could stare at the pretty fire that followed. I was just…planning a romantic night for them.

And I couldn't go to the girls about it. They'd either look at me funny or tell Lanna, ruining the whole thing completely. They thought it was strange I happened to be so pro-Lanna. I didn't know her very well, and in my own opinion she was a bit of a ditz, but Denny liked her. And anyway, I bet half of them thought I had a thing for Denny. Which wasn't true, of course. He was a mate, and I'd never be able to see him romantically.

"I hate you sometimes. So, so much." Denny mumbled, pulling the purple bandanna from his head and running a hand through his curly dark hair. I just smiled, taking his words to be, rather than an insult, but to actually mean 'fine, do what you want Chelsea'. It was easier to comprehend that way, anyhow.

I stood, ready to leave. I had work to do anyway. "Wait, aren't you going to drink your tea?"

"What? No, I hate tea!" I laughed heartily, and left the little café to finish my chores.

Back at my farm, I planted myself firmly to the ground and tended to my potato crop. They needed to be perfect for this year's spring crop festival. Because I wanted to win.

And I was going to win, whether they liked it or not. I was, after all, fiercely competitive in my work, even if it was something that I never imagined myself doing.

With my crops all evenly watered, I got back up on my feet and brushed the dirt from my knees. I felt myself smirk, as I contemplated my successes. I was actually going amazingly well for myself. I wasn't rich, by any means, but I had a healthy living standard. And now even my animals were appreciative of my tender care.

Over all, they were happy animals, and I was rewarded tenfold with high standard produce. And now I had a ewe that was expecting. I felt like a first time parent myself. I hadn't even known she had bred successfully until the days before the sheep festival, which I couldn't enter. It didn't bother me in the slightest though. My sheep was pregnant!

Speaking of which, I needed to check up on her. She was due very soon. I entered the barn and smiled cheerily at all of my animals, or rather, two cows and my pregnant ewe. Frankie moo'd at me, watching me with her large brown eyes expectantly. I came up to her and gave her a pat on the rump, talking to her quietly.

"And how are you today, my dear? Did you have a good night?" She moo'd back again, and I giggled softly. She was always a very talkative creature. I gave the girl one more quick pat and went over to greet my ewe, Lorenzo. But, I called her Lori.

Sitting down beside her on the ground, I made myself comfortable in her hay bed. I know people probably found it strange for me to have such a connection with all my animals, but they were just as much my friends as the humans I associated myself with every day.

Many farmers just considered their livestock to be, well…just that. Livestock. I suppose I was different in that way. My animals weren't just another form of money to me. They were my pets, my friends, and something I held a deep connection with.

And it was easier dealing with tame animals than near-wild ones.

Humming softly to Lori, I ran a hand through her short, woollen coat. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" I smiled, watching the tame sheep munch lazily on a bale of hay sitting beside her. I knew it would be soon… she was usually wandering around early in the morning, but today she seemed content sitting in her stall.

I would have been content too, sitting with her all day, comfortable in the company of the creature. But I knew I had things to do, so I sluggishly got to my feet and continued to work through all my chores.

My first stop was to Mirabelle's. Not for lunch, or for supplies, but for a favour.

I smiled back at the middle-aged lady standing behind the desk, and as I came up to her I leaned my hands up against the counter like a child. "Mirabelle, can I get you to do me a favour?"

"Sure, what is it, honey?" She said, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly.

I grinned at her, "I want you to send someone to check on my ewe tomorrow morning. I think she's going to deliver her lamb tonight or early morning, so I thought it was best I'd have someone come in and check on them both as soon as possible." Maybe I was being paranoid, I don't know. I just wanted to make sure that everything was fine for Lori and the soon to be new member of the family.

She smiled, all mother like. "Alright. I'll have Vaughn come in and check. He gets in early in the morning, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle for him."

"Ah! Pokey! Alright, that's perfect. Thanks Mirabelle." She just continued to smile at me, and I left with a skip in my step and humming a merry little tune.

Secretly, I was planning to hide behind the door and scare the crap out of him when he walked in. Oh, it was going to be priceless. Actually witnessing an expression on his face other than irritation and annoyance was going to be priceless.

Now I needed lunch. Who to pawn off now?

Oh, right, I needed to make an attempt number 2 at getting Elliot to help me. Might as well scavenge something from their fridge while I was at it.

"Elliot, my man. I got the okay. So are you in?" I asked, sitting down on their dining table, swinging my legs back and forth like a young child.

He ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his glasses nervously. Grimacing, his shoulders sagged for a moment, probably thinking about the consequences of saying no. He knew I'd force him to anyway. What? He was easy to manipulate.

"Are you sure he's alright with it?" He muttered anxiously, hoping to buy more time.

"Yes. Well…no. But he said he hated me, so that counts, right?" I asked, looking to the roof in thought. Maybe I _had _misread his words, just a little.

"_Chelsea._" He whined, looking over at me with pleading eyes. "I want you to come back with a real okay, not just an assumption. I can't, and won't help you until you get that." I stood up, and started to rummage through his fridge. He was standing up for his own rights for once, and I kinda found it surprising.

"Do you have any salami?"

"Chelsea! Listen to me for once!" His foot hit the ground forcefully, and for a second I could see how he was related to Natalie.

"Alright, alright. I'll ask again, later. When he's had time to think about it and everything. How's that sound to you?" I turned my head to the side, so I could give him an earnest look.

"Fine. But only then." He pushed his glasses up his nose again. "And you might want to get everyone in on it as well."

Oh, there it was. Elliot's secretly mischievous side that no one saw. I knew it was there though, somewhere. Julia probably knew about it too.

"Alrighty then!" I straightened up and shut the fridge door, holding a block of parmesan cheese. "You don't mind if I take this? Good. Well… I'll be back then." I left Elliot there, looking all nervous as he usually did. On my way down the path, I peeled the plastic off the triangle of cheese and bit into it, savouring the classic taste.

When I got home that night, I had quickly watered my plants for the second time that day. I was going to make sure they were perfect, both for shipment and for the festival. I was planning on upgrading a few things, so I needed the extra money anyway.

I had a quiet dinner by myself, a random mash of leftover veggies, egg, and some boiled beef. I sliced it all up and created a random little concoction using what I had, coming out with a surprisingly adequate meal. I wasn't usually all that successful in cooking, but I didn't seem to do too bad this time round. Luck.

Once I had finished picking at the flat little patties I had made, I washed up my plates lazily. It was dark out, and the owl's were hooting softly in the distance. I guess I was just getting tired. After all, I had had a busy day tending to my farm and running out scheming like a mad man. Everything done, I left my little cottage to do one final check on my animals.

I locked my chickens in for the night, and went to the barn for one final anxious check before closing them off from the outside world for the night as well.

I walked into the barn for the final time that night, taking the time to do one final check to make sure everything was in order. I met a sight that brought me to my knees.

Lori had given birth while I had been gone. And she had evidently rejected the limp baby and left it to fend for itself on the floor of the barn. I scrambled over to the lamed young and reached for it, lifting it's head up. It was alive! It was still alive! I could take it to Mirabelle's, she'd know what to do!

I glanced at my watch. Despair. It was already too late. She'd be closed by now, probably already in bed. I'd have to do it all myself.

So I acted fast, the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I ran as fast as I could to my house, grabbing all the spare blankets and towels I could find, and filling a bottle with warm water for the lamb. I gathered the lamb up in the blankets and brought it onto my lap. I made myself comfortable against the wall of the barn, holding the bottle to the lamb for the first time that night.

Devotion kept me going through the night. It blinded me from the whole world around me. It told me to ignore the harsh weather that was creeping up on me. Devotion stopped me from giving up.

Throughout the night, I continuously made futile attempts to get the young lamb to drink. I forced my fingers into it's mouth, using all my will power to get it to suckle on the bottle's teat. If it was ever going to survive the night…I had to get it to drink. I tried to lead by example, I used honey, and at my worst I even tried to shove the bottle down it's fragile throat. None of it worked.

So I sat there all night, the bundled up lamb held close to my chest, doing anything I could to keep it warm. I didn't feel my feet start to ache from the night's cold creeping up on them. I didn't notice my limbs getting stiff. I ignored my drooping eyelids, willing me to sleep. I was devoted to the little lamb that I held in my arms. Not even sleep's beckoning hands could stop me tonight.

"Chelsea?"

But it must have. I awoke to the sound of a harsh voice, and as my bleary eyes readjusted to the morning light, I realised where I was.

"What! No- No! I can't have fallen asleep! I wouldn't have!" I gasped, ignoring the tall man that now stood at the door to my barn. I dropped the bottle, barely hearing the liquid slosh around as I pulled away the blankets that were wrapped around the fragile lamb.

For a second, everything seemed to have stopped. The world around me went black as my eyes widened in despair. I began to cry softly as I realised I had failed. The young, rejected lamb must have passed away during my uncontrolled sleep. "No…I…tried so hard! No!" I whispered, running the back of my hand against it's cold face, hoping it might miraculously wake up. Of course, that would have never happened.

Everything seemed to go fuzzy after that. Momentarily, my brain had stopped functioning, lapsing in and out of focus. Vaughn had pulled me to my feet, and had wrapped the young lamb back up in the blankets so it was hidden from my view. He must have known it would have only made me even more distraught that I already was. I remember him dragging me away from its body, despite my pleas. I remember him picking me up in his arms, fighting against my struggles and taking me away from the barn, and away from my whole farm.

I remember him dumping me on the bench in Mirabelle's shop and leaving me there to weep over the death of my young lamb.

**XXXXXX**

I shuddered softly again, trying to overcome the feeling of depression. It wasn't just the fact that I'd lost the young lamb. No, it was something much more selfish. It was my first failure. My first _real _failure.

Another wave of emotion hit me. I was such a prat. I didn't even care about my animals, I just cared about being the winner. Was that why I felt connected to the men in town? Because they themselves were just greedy fools who only wished to come up on top? I was such a bad person!

And now I felt even worse, because I had just accussed my closest friends of being selfish cowards. My mind was tormenting me with horrid thoughts. They weren't like that at all… they were all loving, caring men.

My downward internal spiral stopped for a moment as I felt a hand rest against my shoulder. For a moment, I considered simply ignoring it and waiting for it to go away again. I didn't want people to see my tear stricken face. But then again, this person was obviously trying to comfort me.

I met the sharp glare of amethyst eyes, and I felt my stomach drop. I didn't need this. I didn't need to be told off by Vaughn…Not now.

"Leave me alone."

Just as I was about to tuck my face back into my open hands, his grip on my shoulder tightened, almost on the border of pain.

"Stop crying. You did what you could."

I exhaled properly for the first time in a while, but didn't turn my head up to meet his harsh gaze. "Leave me alone." I repeated.

For a second, I thought he had finally left me. Of course, like with nearly everything else, I was wrong. The bench creaked as more weight was applied to it, and I glanced to the side to see Vaughn sitting beside me, his face hidden behind his broad-rimmed hat.

"You did all you could. And sometimes, that's all you can do. So stop crying. One lost lamb is nothing in the big scheme of things."

I frowned at him, how could he be so _cruel?_ Did this mean nothing to him? He was an animal dealer, for god's sake! He should have been grieving the loss even more than I was! Okay…maybe not, but he just…should have shown more compassion!

"You-! You bloody jerk! Have you no heart at all!" I cried, standing up and staring at down at him with my sore eyes. He didn't look up, but I could see the gentle movements of his shoulders. He was…was he laughing?

"You're heartless! You're… a terrible, terrible person." I sobbed, loudly. I couldn't face this now, and went for the door, slamming it on my way out. I heard Julia call for me, and I knew she probably just witnessed the end of that little confrontation. But I didn't stop walking. I didn't even stop when I felt her hands pull on my shoulders.

I only stopped when I felt her arms wrap around me in a welcoming hug. "Hush… Chels. I know it hurts. It always does. And you, you're special. You hold such a strong bond with your animals, it must feel like you've had your heart ripped out…" She muttered, petting down my bedraggled hair.

I snuggled my face into her shoulder, closing my eyes. "It did… But now I'm just…angry. Angry at myself, angry at my animals, angry at the bastard who had the nerve to laugh at me."

Julia sighed, pulling me that little bit closer. "I'm sorry, about him. He's just… callous to it all. He's been working with animals for almost his whole life, he's used to seeing death."

I never took the time to think about that aspect of Vaughn. It was probably something he had to deal with all the time. But right now, I didn't give a damn. To me, he was just a cruel man, with no soul.

I took a step back from her, watching her arms fall to her sides. "I'm going home…I'm tired…"

She bit her lip nervously, and shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea right now. I think, you should stay back awhile. "

I knew what she meant by that. She wanted me to give them time to go back and take the body out, so I wouldn't find the same scene I did just hours before. I wondered why they hadn't done it sooner, because I was sure Vaughn had left to do it before…

"Okay… I'll go see Denny or something." I put on a smile for her, though it melted away in a split second, before I started to walk to the little shack I knew so well. I needed comfort from a friend. He may not have been a farming freak like I was, but I knew that no matter what he'd be there for me.

And right now, all I needed was for someone to be there for me, with unconditional devotion.

**A/N: Oh no! I promised a non-depressing story, what's gone wrong? Something must have gone wrong!**

**Well, don't worry too much. Should be back to normal by next chapter. Really, I was just trialling my writing skills. What did you think? Did ya like it?**

**And more importantly, is Vaughn really heartless enough to **_**laugh? **_

_**And, **_**what exactly is Chelsea planning for Denny?**

**I'll leave you with that thought! Bye!**


	4. Let the Games Begin

Time goes on. It doesn't stop for anyone, no matter how much you plea for a second's pause, you know that everything just keeps on rolling, and you really can't afford to waste it. That's what I had felt like for the past week or so. For days, I simply sat in my house, playing monopoly with myself, trying to keep my mind from other, more depressing, thoughts. But of course, I realised I couldn't spend forever sulking about. Though, I probably wouldn't have realised it as soon as I did, if Taro hadn't come to see me and say something along the lines of 'You can't just neglect yer farm like that, missy! I know yer sufferin', but sometimes your just gotta move on!"

At first, I felt like slapping him in the face for being rude to the deceased, but I knew he was right. Besides, I couldn't just sit there all day and rely on the helpful hand of a few friends to take care of my land for me, free of charge.

Although very few people knew first hand what I was dealing with, word got around. And even those who hadn't heard must have known something was up: I hadn't been raiding peoples cupboards for scraps like I always did. I kept my distance from the masses, opting to make as little communications as possible with those I didn't need to, deciding that I really needed to just deal with it on my own.

Of course, when I finally began to rework my land with the true vigour I had when I first started, I found the pain and sweat of heavy handed work to be quite relieving to the soul. Some girls might have found the same sort of consolation eating ice cream straight from the tub and watching soap opera's all day, but as I've mentioned countless times before, that wasn't really who I was. Exhaustion was my saviour. Even when I let my mind wander to the tragic ordeal of a week ago, the few tears I shed would mix with dirt and sweat and were almost invisible. I felt the true passion for farming I had once started with bubbling up to the surface once more.

And now I was lazily slouched over a couch, forcing all the men to squeeze into the other. I guess there were some benefits that came with depressive self-pity. Other's pitied you just as much. I had a bottle in my hand, my eyes staring intently at the large t.v screen opposite me. The soccer was on, and even though I really had no idea what was going on, I did think it looked like a fun game to play. Especially in the rain, on a muddy field, where you could easily trip over every five seconds. Yeah, that sounded like the good life.

"Chelsea, what's your favourite colour?" Pierre asked, and I looked over at him in surprise. I indicated to my red leather boots that were sitting on the floor beside me, and then tapped my head.

"Red. Thought it was obvious." I muttered, sticking the top of the bottle into my mouth. Yes, I was downing myself a light beer, early in the afternoon. I wasn't much of a drinker, and like I had said before, I didn't really like the taste. But the guys seemed to approve, and I guess it kept my mind off of…things.

"Why are you asking anyway?" I queried, suspicious.

"Oh, I was just wondering. Since, you're birthday is coming up soon." I looked up at the roof, thinking. It was early Summer, as far as I knew. I wasn't keeping track of the past couple of weeks, though I did manage to make it to the Spring Crop festival, bringing up second place due to my lack of last minute care.

But that also meant my birthday was going to fall on a Thursday, next week. And I was going to be 23. Oh, I felt old now.

That wasn't the only issue. I was specifically avoiding a certain cowboy. I know it was probably stupid of me, but I don't think I would be able to deal with it. Usually, we'd just chuck insults and glares like they meant nothing, but I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for that right now.

"Hey, you're right. Make me a cake." I mused, laughing softly at the shining look Pierre gave me. For most people, the demand might have been looked upon sourly, but Pierre used it as an excuse to experiment in devilish concoctions. I always knew they'd come out good though, so he was the best person to ask.

A team made a goal, and I instantly sat straight up, screaming out and pumping my fists into the air with the rest of them. I didn't even know which team was which, and it was highly likely I'd miss the queue and cheer for the wrong team.

When everything calmed down again, I slouched back into my seat and drummed my fingers against my thigh. I glanced over at my companions, and smirked at Denny, who rolled his eyes at me. He was a little on edge, knowing that I was still up to my terrible scheming.

At first, I planned on giving them an unofficial, official tribal wedding ceremony that was widely unrecognised by the world. Elliot told me that it was mean, so I had to change it. Right now, I was thinking…hot air balloons.

We probably all sat there for hours more, sitting on the edge of our sits and bursting into tears of joy when our team (which I still didn't know who) won the match. And then we all started singing the team's anthem, though I was just saying random words to keep up with them. Finally, when we all realised we had just neglected our own responsibilities, we all went our separate ways.

I walked along side Denny, talking to him about all sorts of things. I wasn't really keeping track. I guess, in my weeks of mild instability, I had latched myself to my best friend, seeking comfort from his friendly face and warming compassion. And I guess there was something about his endless fishing tips that made me smile, no matter what my mood was.

I guess it was too bad that I could never see myself developing more than just a friendship with him. Lanna was lucky, and I wouldn't pull anything away from her. It's just a shame, I guess, that I had no one.

His arm came around my shoulders, squeezing me lightly. "Hey, you're okay, aren't you?" He asked, his dark eyes sincere. My mind wandered off a lot lately, and he probably saw right through my contemplative expression to see the gloom behind it.

I smiled at him, weary. "I suppose. It's just a difficult time for me… And, from the wise words of a cowboy, 'One lost lamb is nothing in the big scheme of things'." I huffed softly, and emitted some sort of humourless laugh.

Denny frowned, worried. "Don't take his words so seriously. We all know that he's anti-social. He doesn't know how to communicate."

I shook my head and sighed. "No. He's right. Really, he is. I'm just worried I won't be able to face him now that I'm finally out and about again." That was probably my biggest issue right now. Seeing his face again.

Or rather, seeing the shadow of it behind his famous Stetson.

"Well, you know you can come and hide at my house for two days if you need it." He joked, his hand rubbing my shoulder softly. I leaned up and kissed his cheek, whispering a small thanks. He blushed and seemed to shrug it off as best as he could. It wasn't surprising, since my usual equivalent to a kiss would be a good hard wack against the arm. I just wish I wasn't being such an emotional time bomb.

"You're still going to have to face him some time though."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just going to push it as long as I can." He frowned, removing his arm from around me when we met the mouth of the beach. I looked down at my feet for a moment.

"Well, I need to go tend to…stuff." I murmured, knowing that my morning chores were done and my animals happily grazing outside. It had taken a while for me to accept my animals again, and I kept a general distance from them in the beginning. But I knew that, in specific, my ewe wasn't the cause of my despair. Complications of birth and pregnancy were.

And so I walked off, back to my farm and continued to do some sorts of daily work. I weeded, though I didn't need the extra space. I smashed up rocks, though I hardly needed any more supplies. I chopped wood and foraged, just to keep myself busy. And by the end of the night, I was lying dead on the floor of my room, staring at the ceiling.

"…Food." I groaned, piteous of myself. I needed to start collecting supplies for a decent dinner again. I glanced at the clock at sighed, wondering if I could make it for dinner at the diner or not. I hadn't felt this hungry since I had first started, when I hardly had the money to spare on daily needs.

After a minute of forcing myself to believe that I was, indeed, full, I sluggishly got to my feet and went for the front door, knowing that if I didn't eat sooner or later tonight, I would have difficulty getting up at my usual 6 o'clock start. Not that I would have minded the extra time in bed, I would have enjoyed it. But the farm needed to receive far more attention than it had been receiving lately, and the earlier I could get up, the better.

My feet dragged against the cobblestones of the pathway, picking up the dust that had settled in the cracks. Summer, though only in it's early days, had already started to take its toll on the little island around us. Things started to yellow in the heat, while other's thrived. There was something to love about nature, and in our own little part of the world, nothing seemed more powerful than the force of nature itself. We'd had out fair share of bad weather, disasters, and the like, but even when it ruined everything, everyone who lived there seemed to hold a tiny bit of appreciation towards the beauty that had created it all.

I wasn't very religious, but I knew enough to know something was working through the island. The island's church was entirely dedicated to the worship of the Harvest Goddess, and through I wasn't a ritual attendee, I could appreciate it. Though, I probably wouldn't have if I had the brushes with the higher being on multiple occasions in the past. At first, I thought I was going insane, but everything seemed to make more sense when you put the beautiful woman with the green hair into place.

I seemed to have lapsed out of concentration, only coming back down to earth when I felt my arm being yanked. Pulled to the side, I turned my head to look at whoever it had been pulling me, surprised as any when I found it to be Julia, alongside Natalie. Oh dear, I was being ambushed.

"Chelsea! You're spending the night with us whether you like it or not." Julia said, grinning at me.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, looking down at my feet as they moved across the path: half dragged and half stepping to prevent myself falling. "Will I get food?"

"Is that really all that you ever think about?" Natalie stated, raising a brow in mild disbelief. Hey, if they were gunna feed me, I might as well attend.

"Food's important. You need it to live. And for your information, I live a lot."

The good news was that they fed me when we got to Julia's house. The bad news was they were forcing me into a girly-night in. Spare mattresses were laid out along the floor of her bedroom, covered in clean sheets and supplied with a comfortable amount of blankets. Her room wasn't all that large, so it was a little hard to get around the two big makeshift beds without toppling over. I sat down on one, crossing my legs and listening to them…not so intently.

Even with the girls trying their best to get me involved in their girly business, I wasn't interested. Though there was probably good intentions behind all of it, I wasn't exactly in the mood for pretending to be something I was evidently not. I could use the hugs and cuddles though.

And even though I had very little input to add to their conversations that night, they seemed to be content with me just being there. I gave the occasional wide eyes and surprised expressions, the laughs when I was meant to. But altogether, I couldn't get myself into the whole thing.

"You up to sleeping here tonight, Chels?" Julia asked me, and I glanced down at my comical watch. It was already the middle of the night. It wouldn't hurt, anyway…

"Yeah. Spose' so." I mumbled and pulled a pillow up to my chest, hugging it to myself softly. Maybe something about my subtle detachment finally clicked, because Julia looked at me with her pretty blue eyes and sighed.

"You're alright, aren't you?"

"Yup."

"So you're not worried about what happened?"

"Nope."

"What's wrong then, is it about Denny?" I rose a brow at her, confused to no end. I hadn't expected him to come up in the conversation at all. I had heard the two girl's talk about Elliot (despite Nat's gagging sounds) and Pierre, but seeing as I failed to have a romantic interest in anyone, they had left me out of the conversation.

"Um..No? Still the best friend he was a few hours ago." I paused, tilting my head to the side. "I know you guys might disagree, but I don't want anything more with him. Lanna has his heart."

"You know we all love Lanna. But you're one of the first. You were with us from the beginning. Of course we want you to be happy."

I laughed. Actually laughed. It was the first time I had truly laughed in a long while. And, due to my hysteria, the others simply gave mild, nervous giggles back to meet my mood.

"Really! Don't worry about that! I don't like Denny in that way! I never have, and I never will!"

Natalie finally spoke, her head tilted towards me in some sort of sign of determination. "Then who do you like?"

I took off my bandana and frowned. Were they done probing me for answers I just couldn't give them? "No one."

"Mark seems the right type. He's a farmer like you, and you share a lot of interests…"

"Huh? No, I don't like Mark." I couldn't help but smile. We sounded like middle-schoolers. We didn't dare use the word's 'attracted to' or 'love'. No, we used like. We were so bad that if someone even mentioned the word love, we'd probably blush and giggle away like idiots.

Both Natalie and Julia seemed stumped. They looked at each other, their expressions jumping sporadically. They were having some sort of… telepathic conversation. It probably crossed the lines of whether I wished I had one of the men they were pining for, and then probably through all the older men in town. It might have touched on the possibility that I liked someone who lived in the city, and it might have even gone so far to reconsider my sexuality. When they finally voiced their conclusion, I nearly choked on my own saliva.

"Vaughn! _What!_" I stared at them, appalled. "I'm sorry, but I can't find any reason behind your conclusion! Have you forgotten that I haven't even been able to face the guy for the past two weeks?"

Julia shrugged, the look on her face made it seem like it was a far more plausible answer than what it actually was. "Well, you _have _told me that you found him attractive." Oh, there was that word. And I knew the moment I heard it I should have kept my trap shut.

"So? That means nothing. The guy's a jerk. And if you haven't realised by now, I don't think I would be happy spending the rest of my life with a man who constantly give me the death glare." I pouted, upset with them. Why did they have to bring him into it?

"You must like him." Natalie stated. "Or else you wouldn't react like this."

Ugh. The stupid, overreaction proves guilt theory. Why was that even when the theory had been proven wrong so many times, it still seemed to be the heart of all gossip between young girls and women. And right now, I was subjected to it.

"I don't like him. I don't want him. I tease him because it's fun. He chucks insults right back at me. Because that's who he is. And unfortunately for you guys, you're right off the mark. " I fell onto my back, bouncing once as it hit the soft mattress. "It's all just a game between us. And even if I can't face him right now, that's all that it will ever be. So do get your knickers in a knot waiting for me to confess my love to the guy. Because that word it void." I shut my eyes, hoping that they'd get the point that I just wanted to sleep.

There was silence. Even though I had my eyes closed, I knew they were swapping their gaze from between each other to me. "Alright… I believe you." Julia's voice was soft, but convinced. I was glad that Natalie had refrained from saying anything at all.

"I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." I rolled onto my stomach, done with them for the night.

"Already?"

"She has to get up early and get to her farm, remember? Cut her some slack."

"Yeah, cut me some slack!"

Even after a tense moment, we still ended the night on a light heart. They may not have been my closest friends in the world, but they were still that. My friends. And I still loved them, just not as much as my men.

**XXXXXX**

I shut the door quietly behind me, hoping I wouldn't wake them up as I felt my way through the darkness. My feet wriggled their way along the wooden floorboards, checking to make sure I wouldn't walk into something. I had only just woken up, and my eyes had not yet adjusted to the lack of light in the room.

I needed a glass of water. Having a bad habit of breathing through my mouth when I slept, it meant more often than not that I'd wake up with a sore throat and a dry tongue in the morning. I just woke up earlier than usual, probably because I was generally restless at the moment.

My hand met the kitchen door, and I could see the dull white of the fridge. I fumbled my way through, finding the right cupboard for a glass. I couldn't see the tap anywhere, so I just went to the fridge and fished out a jug of cold water. I didn't like my water cold, but it'd have to do.

Sitting down in the darkness, my eyes as adjusted as they ever would be, I took slow sips of my water. My eyelids drooped, and I knew I'd have to head back to bed soon or else I wouldn't be able to get up in the morning.

Even in the darkness, I could make out the designs of the cottage style placemats set out on the table.

"Ah!"

Someone had just slammed their fist onto the light switch, and I shielded my eyes with my arm. I cringed, my eyes severely affected by the sudden inclusion of light. "Turn the light off!"

The light did not turn off, much to my dismay. And my eyes were still squeezed shut, so I had no idea who it was that had caused me the displeasure.

"Do you… often sit alone in the dark." I opened my eyes and stared at the cowboy leaning against the doorframe. Great. "In someone else's' house, no less."

"Yes, it's my favourite pastime. Get lost." He didn't move. I sighed and continued to focus on my glass and thoughts of sleep, though the bright lights made it sure that I was now wide awake.

A few minutes past, and the silence seemed to irk me. It had been silent before, but it was just odd now that there was another person in the room. Vaughn didn't really seem to care much, but he came and made himself comfortable at the dining table anyway.

"What time is it?"

"Just past three."

"You get here this early? Sucks to be you."

He said nothing in response, and continued to look away from me. Perhaps he was contemplating the events of a few weeks ago, as I was trying not to. Maybe he felt guilty. Or maybe he did this every morning after he arrived at our little island. He sat in the kitchen until somebody woke up and made him breakfast.

Typical male.

"What are you doing here?" He muttered finally, barely sparing a second to give me a proper glance in my general direction.

"Julia and Natalie hijacked me on my way to the diner. They wanted to do the whole girly sleepover thing with me." Something about it seemed to humour him, because he chuckled softly before returning to his usual anti-social self.

I realised my glass was empty, so I stood up, ready to leave again. I took my glass to the now visible sink and rinsed it. I felt movement behind me.

"How's your ewe?" Of course he had to bring it up. I braced myself, and continued to needlessly scrub at the insides of the glass.

"She's fine. We're all fine."

There was a pause, and I knew Vaughn must have gotten up at some point in time, because his tall figure cast a shadow against the wall. "I'm sorry for your loss."

I sighed, and finally set the cup down. "Yeah… You and me both."

"No… I was rude." I assumed that Julia and Mirabelle had given him a well deserved hiding after the way he treated me, so I didn't really take any of his words with seriousness in the mind. I simply turned and made my way to leave.

On my way out, I stopped and looked up at Vaughn for a moment. "You and I both know you don't mean that. Death is nothing to you. Why would a death of something I own mean anything else to you than another disposal for you to take care of?"

My words came from the heart, and for a second I thought I might have startled him a bit. It was too hard to tell.

"No. There's much more to it than that. You're just too naïve to see it." That was probably the longest sentence I had heard him say, and it irritated me that he thought he knew me so well. Certainly, he didn't.

"So, you just bare the burden and refuse to smile?" There was no response, and I finally turned my body to look at him, seriously.

"Right now, I hate you. I hate your attitude. I hate the way you treated me. And I'm not afraid to say it." I paused, letting it sink in. "But one day I will get over it. And one day I will find myself annoying you like I used to. And I'm going to entertain you and amuse you, and I'm going to get you to smile."

He frowned, and shook his head. "Do you want to bet on that?"

"I reckon I will."

"It's game on then." I swear I saw a smirk. And I smirked right back. I was going to win, no matter what it took to do. I'd stable his face into a smile if I had to.

Okay, maybe I wouldn't go that far. But I was going to win and I was going to make sure of that.

We upheld a sort of staring competition for a long while, simply in silence. And then I left because I was far too tired to stay up in these antics till the time I had to work. He left too, heading to what I assumed to be the guest room. I went to bed easily once more, finding it easier to get to sleep than I thought it would be. My body was as tired as my mind was, but it was still maintaining a sluggish pace at thought. Not for very long though, as I soon fell into a deep sleep, only do be jumped on by a bubbly Julia just hours later.

**A/N: Tada! Finally, the game has been introduced! **

**Though, I had a fairly difficult time writing this chapter, especially with paragraphs that are generally used to connect all the events. So, if it seems a little jumpy, I apologise for that. Also, I apologise for any spelling errors, because I didn't take the time to check over the last half of it. I was lazy. Anyway, that's enough from me!**

**Edit: Fixed some of the spelling. Not all. Yeah. Sorry again.**


	5. A Plan for Love

With the help of Elliot and Mark, I started to roll out the tarp along the ground of the meadow. Surely, it wasn't the most romantic thing in the world, but even when we put all our money together we could hardly afford a hundred meters worth of red velvet. So, a hundred meters of blue tarp was the next best thing. Besides, no one would be able to see the difference when you're up in the sky.

It was a lucky thing for us that we lived on such a low density island. Because really, if someone had just decided to take a trip to the meadows, we'd probably have been given a hiding and told to pack everything up. Not that we would have. We'd probably just disappear for a couple hours and continue our work.

I wasn't the kind of person to give up, and Elliot was the kind of person who could be pushed around. And Mark, well, Mark was the kind of guy who smiles and agrees to do just about anything for a friend.

I smoothed the last corner down with my foot and slumped down, finding little peace of mind as my face was hit by the hot rays of the sun. I only hoped that it cooled down tonight, otherwise the plastic might melt into the ground quicker than we would assume.

Two bodies came to lie down beside me, and I grabbed each of their hands and held them tightly. I looked over to one side. Elliot, squinting his eyes from the sun with an overall unnerved look on his round face. His hair fell in thick strands, sticking to his forehead. It was hot, and you could tell.

On my other side I looked towards the blonde. His eyes were closed, and he had a small smile on his face: a sign of a feeling of accomplishment. No one had spoken a word in a long while, but all of us seemed to be enjoying the peace. Or maybe we were just too exhausted to waste any more energy on such tedious tasks like talking.

I took the time to think back to last week, hoping that in doing so it might take my mind of the heat. Some people might have suggested that the best idea was to get inside, but there was no such thing as an air conditioner here. People kept their houses cool by shutting the blinds and turning on the fans, if they had any that is. So, really, the only thing to do was to train yourself into believing that it was actually cold. And it worked just as well in the winter too. Though, a warm meal and a fire to sit by generally helped.

I wasn't so good at willing myself into thinking it was cold, so I applied my own methods and distracted myself on other things.

When Julia jumped on me to get me to wake up, I was greeted not only with a sore ribcage due to the collision, but the pleasing smell of a warm cooked breakfast. As odd as it was, and though I was often there for breakfast anyway, it was always nice to wake up to the smell for once.

We had pancakes, and everyone sat around the table and conversed happily. I joined in, and had hardly noticed the fact that Vaughn was not there that morning- after all, he was the least of my worries. Or perhaps he was the biggest. I couldn't quite get my head around which he would be.

When I had left that morning with a full tummy and a satisfied look, I went back to my farm to tend to my newly sewn crops and let the animals out to feed. And of course, like my usual daily schedule called for, I had run off to meet Denny at his shack for a morning chat with the best friend. The clock had been ticking, and it had become fairly evident that Denny was on edge.

It was my fault- I had been teasing him constantly about my plans. So, I decided to put him at ease and tell him that I'd have it done as soon as possible. Though, I believe it held little prospect in relieving him in any way whatsoever, I had gone home with a smile on my face.

It was early this morning when I picked up the two young men to help me. And when I say early, I mean early. It was before the sun had even greeted us with it's not so welcome shine. We had to start early, or else we would have died from heat stroke and overexertion. I would have gotten Gannon to help out with everything, but he'd only disapprove.

And now we lay here together in the blistering heat, bodies covered in sweat. "Chels…why do you drag me into this stuff?"

"…Why are you so easy to manipulate?"

"Ugh…"

I laughed at Elliot. None of us moved for a long while. The rest of our preparations would have to wait until the sun went down, not only to save ourselves from the hottest part of the day, but because everything would probably melt. I stood up, and dragged the men up by their hands to their feet as well.

"Meet back…'round five-ish. That's okay?" I asked, receiving an eager nod from the blonde and a not so eager one from the ginger.

We walked together, trying our best not to trip on the tarps that were rolled out over the whole of the field. We were finally safe at the bridge, and we all followed each other through East Town. Still, we seemed to be too tired to speak, though I was sure Mark wouldn't have minded to pick up a friendly conversation along the way.

When we did part ways, I had nothing better to do other than to lean against a wall and look back in the direction in which we came. Really, it was true. My animals were out grazing, my plants had a plentiful watering this morning, and would only need tending to later that day. So I just needed to wait patiently. The only problem was that patience was not my virtue.

"Do you often…stand in silence until somebody notices you?"

"Yes. But you're one to talk, aren't you. Pokey."

"You need to stop calling me that." I said nothing back, dishing out the silent treatment that he often served himself.

"Don't you have work to do?" I asked finally, turning my head from the east to get a good look at the guy. I found it odd that he seemed to be approaching me more often than he used to. But then, I guess he was a human, which meant he had a conscience and he could have been feeling guilty.

I might have been wrong though, those purple eyes were a little _too _odd to be natural.

"What about you?" He asked, ignoring my question and sending it right back. I shrugged.

"I was kinda hoping I'd get to play Pokémon with Charlie today. The parents sent a new deck over. Got some rare cards in there too."

He snorted, obviously thinking I was joking. I wasn't.

"I'm busy today. I'm scheming and setting things up for a super awesome epic date…thing." I grinned at him, and he simply raised a brow. "For Denny and Lanna. Just doing a favour for a good friend."

"So…you aren't after Denny…" He stated softly, his face hidden behind his hat. I looked over at him in bewilderment, and shook my head.

"No, don't listen to Julia. Sheesh." I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sighed, closing my eyes. It was silent, and I wasn't sure if he had left by now.

"By the way, smile."

"No."

I opened my eyes and looked over to him, but he was already gone. Man, he was fast. I waved to his back and continued to wait patiently in the shade. I glanced down at my watched and wondered whether I should go and tell Denny to go and get Lanna sooner or later, and since I really had nothing better to do until late afternoon, I started to wander down the street to the beach.

I found Denny sitting outside his house, watching the waves with a kind of serenity. I came down to sit beside him, watching his face for any type of recognition.

"The ocean's amazing, isn't it?" He said softly, his dark eyes full of wonder.

I smiled, and turned my head towards the deep blue in front of us. He was right. It was amazing what secrets the ocean held beneath its depths. And Denny was one who would probably know all about its secrets, more than anyone else.

"Yeah. Sometimes I wish I was you, and I could just sit and fish all day." He laughed and shook his head at me. Either he disapproved of my fishing ability, or had some other idea in his head which I could not assume so easily.

"You're a farmer Chelsea. You belong on your farm. Even if you don't realise it, you'd be pretty depressed without it." His words of wisdom made me smile, because only a true friend could really dig deep into the heart of things and come up with a valid answer to them all.

We sat in silence for a while longer, and it was only broken when I told him the plans for the night. I gave him the details of the time, and the location of the pickup and when he should get Lanna. I told him how to act as to seem that he wasn't being nudged along by a mischievous young friend, and even as I said it I saw the colour drain from his face.

"My head's swimming."

"Don't look like that. Fishermen don't get seasick." I cooed, shoving his shoulder roughly. He closed is eyes and swallowed heavily, trying to get it all through his head.

"When I said get it done quick I didn't mean get it done _quick._" He muttered, scratching his head through his bandanna.

"No, you meant 'Don't do it at all'." I corrected him, stretching my arms over my head as I got ready to leave. The sun was making its way down, and I knew that meant it was nearly time to get ready for the final preparations.

"How much money did you spend on all this?" He asked as I gathered my bearings. I shrugged, simply because I did not wish to tell him.

"Money isn't the matter here. You do anything for your best friend. I'd expect you to do the same thing for me if I was all love sick over some man."

He laughed, wearily, and shook his head once more. "No you wouldn't. You know I care about you too much to put you through hell."

"Don't worry, I love you too." I left him there to consider all that I had told him, and from the corner of my eye I could see him standing up and entering his shack just as I made my way up the beach's path and into town.

When I got back to the meadow I was surprised to find the two guys already standing there, waiting for me nervously. I must have been with Denny longer than I had expected, and I had to rush home to grab the final preparations. In my arm I had a rope, which dragged along with it a little wooden wagon. The wagon was filled with candles and glass bowls, many of which were chipped and irregular, due to their cheap prices and availability I got them for. Elliot and Mark eyed them with curiosity and a hint of suspicion.

"Alright, You guy's already know how to arrange them. Grab some bowls and start lining them up with me."

It had taken far longer than I expected it to. Like a mistakenly simple school assignment, the first impressions only lead me to think of an hour's work, which actually lead into triple. And because it was on such a large scale, there was little way we could check for corrections that needed to be made. Even as we did consider the slight adjustments that could be made, the man had already shown up to greet us.

"Are you Chelsea?" He asked as I walked up to him, still barking out orders to Elliot and Mark to put the candles in and light them.

The man was fairly short, but what he lacked in height was made up for in body structure. He was broad across the shoulders, and his arms from what I could see were well toned. Probably in his mid forty's, he sported a brown, bristled moustache that reminded me a lot of Taro's.

"Yep! That'd be me. I hope the boat ride in wasn't too much for you." I said, holding out my hand for him to shake. He smiled at me, thin creases appearing around his eyes as he did so.

"Not at all. A little difficult getting everything sent over, but I guess that's all in the bill isn't it." I nodded my head and continued to talk with the man, who had already set everything up and was waiting for my instructions. I told him that he'd be meeting up with a couple, and they were the ones that he'd be taking up for the night.

He took note of everything I said, and though he seemed a little surprised that I hadn't planned on going up myself, he accepted it all and left to get prepared. I ran off, grabbing a bag of glitter and pinched a couple holes in it so they spilled out as I ran.

The boys had done magnificently well, Mark was lighting the last of the candles as I ran between the letters and sprinkled glitter all over the tarps. When my bag was finished, and I realised I should have bought a few more, I gave the two a hug in thanks. The sky was dark, and I knew that it would be time for the show soon.

"You guys have been such a great help. Thank you." I said as I took a step back and looked to the distance. Nothing was happening yet.

"I just want to see someone else embarrassed for once." Elliot said softly, running a hand through his hair. I laughed.

"Don't worry, we're still going to be making a fool of ourselves." I should have mentioned that to them earlier, because the look on their faces said it all for me.

"What? We're just going to run around like idiots with streamers and sparklers and stuff for about ten minutes before we all get tired because we're all so old." I said, my sentences getting away from me for a second.

Sullenly, the two followed me and picked up multitudes of streamers, and a couple sparklers each. I had a box of matches from when they lit the candles, which we would use when we needed. It was just then when a shadow was cast over the meadow, and we cast our gaze towards the red bulge surfacing over the trees. It rose at a steady pace, and we all watched in anticipation as the beautiful hot air balloon began to take shape and rise into the sky

The basket that hang beneath came into view, holding inside it a few well known faces. Lanna was jumping up and down, amazed by what she was doing. Denny was smiling, though far more calm than she.

Even from where we were, we could hear her squeal when she read the words spread out along the tarp. We took it as our queue to be idiots. Running out onto the tarp, our hands holding onto the sparklers as the paper streamers fell out behind us. We screamed and yelled and made as much noise as we could.

The words laid out on the ground read out a simple statement:

'Kiss her you idiot.'

It may have been a little obscured by the crazy people running around, and it was destroyed in a matter of seconds when Elliot took one step in the wrong direction and sent quite a few glass bowls flying, but we were having fun, and by the sounds of laughter up above, we knew they were too.

Our sparklers died, and the streamers became torn, but that did not stop us. Well, it certainly didn't stop me.

Standing in the middle of the meadow, I rose my hands up above me. Standing alone amongst the clutter, I felt proud of my achievement.

"Well go on! Kiss her already!" I yelled out, jumping up and down. The message got to them, and Denny looked over at Lanna, who was almost waiting expectantly. Mark and Elliot joined me there, watching up at them with anticipation.

Denny moved towards Lanna, their body's coming in to close proximities with each other. He lowered his head to her's, and it felt like an eternity before we could be certain their lips had met. When we were sure, we erupted once more, cheering them on like the goofy friends we were.

We stood there together, hands clasped, watching the couple in the air exchange sweet nothings. I smiled in content, squeezing both Mark and Elliot's hands before releasing them. We brought ourselves together in a group hug, proud of our efforts. It had been a long day, and there was many trials to overcome, but we had done it all for a friend.

"We did it…"

"My plans aren't always as crazy as they seem."

I took the chance to look up to the stars, and the large air balloon that floated up with them. The couple embraced, and I sighed softly. It was then I realised that was something I wanted. I was missing out on something. At that moment, I felt the need to have someone to call my own, to be loved and cherished to no end. It was something everyone desired at one point in time, and it was just a sad fact of life that no one I had would ever meet that requirement.

"Chels, you okay?"

I smiled and looked back towards the two young men I held company with. "Yeah, I'm fine." We tucked our heads in together, away from the world. We laughed together about how stupid we had been, and how even in the weirdest circumstances and mismatched planning, it had all worked out.

"Just remember, we have to clean up this mess tomorrow."

We left the air balloon flying, and went out separate ways.

As I opened the door to my little farmhouse, I wondered if I'd ever see a day where I'd be met with the warm smile and a kiss from the man I loved.

**A/N: Awww, Chelsea's feeling lonely. Poor thing. **

**Now if you're wonderin' why this took a little while longer to come out, it's because this past week I had 3 exams and 1 assignment due. Not to mention that I came down with a terrible cough (which I still have), so I spent a lot of time in bed playing Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness :D**

**But there is some good news. This is a double release! Tomorrow, or later today, I'm goin to send out the next chapter. Why so early, you ask? Well, it just so happens that I wrote the next chapter before I wrote this one because they were meant to be switched, but then I realised they wouldn't fit well that way, so I modified them and switched them around. Yeah. Bye~**


	6. Drunken Success

"That's right Moose… You're the best chicken in town. No one's going to beat you!" I cooed softly as I ran my fingers along her red comb. I'd been spending the last couple of hours checking the bird over, and despite my general cluelessness, I could tell she was getting restless with me. Her white feather's were clean and perfect, her legs a nice pale yellow as they should be, as was her beak. She was a picture of health.

Moose was my first chicken, given to me by the friendly old man Taro. I suppose being the first of anything always meant you'd have some kind of special connection to them. And that theory worked more ways than one. My first ever turnip crop was special to me, even if it was lacking in quality. Denny was the first fisherman I had met, and he was very special to me. Maybe I had a little too much time on my hands, thinking up the theories that would apply to my life and make a little more sense of the world.

But Moose and I had been together since the very beginning. I love her dearly, and she loved me back. So it was really no wonder why I believed whole-heartedly I'd win the chicken festival with her, unlike Fitzy, who was still brooding away in her box.

I stretched out her wings one final time, checking their feathers for any problems. She clucked at me in annoyance, telling me that my time was up, and I'd have to leave her alone now. I complied, letting her waddle off and continue with her chickeny business. The festival was tomorrow, and right on time, Mirabelle came along to greet me and ask who I planned to enter into the festival tomorrow.

I got a little teary eyed when I said goodbye to Moose, and I had to remind myself that I'd be seeing her tomorrow. Everyone in town would be rooting for me, and I wasn't going to let them down.

The rest of the day went on without any interest, and on the morning of the festival I rushed through my chores and herded out my animals at lightning speed. I had to be there on time, so I would be able to greet everyone and get ready for the judging.

I ran as fast as I could in my large red boots. Dirt spat up behind me as my feet moved across the ground, jumping over logs and dodging the rocks that scattered everywhere. I wasn't so successful in agility, and I managed to take a tumble once, along with nearly landing face first after tripping over a suspiciously placed rock.

The meadow was decorated accordingly for the occasion. The sight of a few bowls stacked away in the corner made me laugh. Despite our best efforts, none of us could have been bothered to take everything away. Mirabelle and the other's had done as well as they could to discreetly hide the evidence of the happenings of a few days ago.

I started to wander through the people, eyeing out the competition. Chickens were grouped together, and I avidly searched for Moose amongst them. I didn't have the time for it though, as I did my best to represent the island and be a happy little hostess. I talked to everyone, even those from out of town, and received words of luck from my close friends.

I approached Mirabelle and told her I was ready, and she said that the judging would begin momentarily. We went through the motions, and I had my fingers crossed behind my back. I would not let anyone down. I silently prayed the harvest goddess to bless my chicken with the ability to win. The judges conversed over their sightings, and came to a conclusion rather quickly.

Each of us were introduced the the crowd alongside our entered chicken, and I couldn't help fight the smirk that crossed my face when a few uncalled for cheers ruptured the patient silence as they called out my name and Moose.

They went through the general comments. That it was a tough decision, and they had to think about it real hard before they decided on a winner. And of course they had to be fair and unbiased about the winner of the competition. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, the nerves were starting to show. I would be so disappointed if I lost now. I needed to win this, for myself, for Moose, and for everyone else in town. I had let them down for the most part with all the other festivities, so I was going to make up for it now.

"And now we'll start the ceremony by announcing the winner." Everyone held their breath, my eyes were squeezed shut and my fingers were crossed behind my back.

"And the winner of this year's Chicken Festival… is Chelsea, and her chicken Moose!"

I think I squealed. I slapped my hands to my mouth and gawked. At first I thought I must have misheard or something. But that was not so, it was true. Moose had one me the title of Chicken Master! I shook hands with the other contestants, but I couldn't restrain the pleasure I felt in winning. I told them they did well, and better luck next time, and all the things I should have, but my mind was on a high.

I was tackled to the ground by my friends, and they all shared congratulations with me. We were all going to celebrate out tonight, at the diner. I was swung off the ground and was pushed on by a crowd of fiercely proud towns people, and we all began to sing together a song that most fit the moment.

"We are the champions - my friends  
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -  
We are the champions -  
We are the champions  
No time for losers  
'Cause we are the champions - of the world!"

We all sang it in unison, and no matter how badly we all sung, it didn't really seem to dampen the mood at all. I'd managed to hitch a piggy back ride on Gannon's back as we all took the victory march towards the diner. So we weren't exactly being sportsman like to the runner's ups from the other towns, but how could we help it? It was the first time I'd brought a victory home. I'd have to reward Moose tomorrow with lots of kisses and cuddles.

I was enjoying the limelight for once. It didn't faze me in the slightest by having the entire community crowding around me. And I could tell everyone was there too: My head bobbed up higher than everyone's; thanks to the height advantage I received from Gannon. I wasn't sure if we'd all fit inside the diner, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

I was right though, the people spilled out of the building, and onto the street, careless of everything around them. It was lucky for them, I suppose, that they did not have to worry about cars and other vehicles speeding around the corner. What would be the point of a car on such a small island anyway?

When I finally found my feet on the ground again, it was only a matter of seconds before I was surrounded, the only words I could hear were the congratulations being screamed across the room. I soaked up the fame, beaming. Though, the mild claustrophobia got to me after a while, and as I shuffled my way through the crowds to get to the counter to order a drink, I caught a glimpse of Denny.

I waved at him, he waved back and gave me the thumbs up. It was then I noticed he was sitting next to Lanna, who seemed completely oblivious to the world around them. I smiled, content in knowing that even in my craziness, I still had done something right. I was proud of that, even if I did feel somewhat lonely. It was strange…this loneliness. It wasn't me.

Before I had time to turn my head and order, I was roughly pushed back into the masses and had a bottle shoved in my hand. It was someone's way of telling me that there was no way I was paying for my own drink tonight. I screamed out and pumped my fist into the air, initiating another chant of Queen's Song. Well, the chorus anyway, no one of actually knew the rest of the lyrics.

Though it seemed hours had gone by between the hustle and bustle, when it finally did cool down I had had a fare few. Not on purpose, but it was rude to decline on a night like this. The attention had fallen away from me, and people were chatting away in their own little friend groups, enjoying the overall happy atmosphere I had created. All of my friends were busy, parents were keeping watchful eyes on children, and the younger adults were busy courting their counterparts. And I enjoyed sitting where I was, watching people with a smile on my face. Everyone was happy, laughing, smiling. Everyone, except for one anti-social cowboy. I watched him with narrow eyes, having mild difficulty in keeping a straight picture of what was directly in front of me. He must have felt eyes on him, because he looked around only to be greeted with my far too serious expression.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to whatever he had been doing, though I was not satisfied with this in the slightest. I grabbed my bottle, got to my feet, pushed through the crowd that had automatically gathered to greet me and swaggered over to the seat next to Vaughn. We said nothing to each other, and I went back to watching people. I would have struck up some sort of conversation, since it was like we were the only two who had yet to be in conversation limbo, but I couldn't seem to get that around in my head.

"Pokey…"

"What?" Vaughn asked, sharp. I flinched involuntarily, and he sighed in response. I had a feeling he'd given up on convincing me that his name was actually Vaughn. I knew that already anyway.

"Don't I get a congratz? You're the only one who hasn't come up to say it." I said, staring down at his hands. They weren't swathed in their usual fingerless gloves, and it was then I realised he was missing half of his overall getup. He was simply wearing the black button up shirt and jeans. Heh… Still had the hat though.

"Fine. Congratulations. Now go away, you're distracting me." I was about to come up with some sort of retort, but instead I leaned in to look at the newspaper he had been reading.

"You like Sudoku?"

"No."

Frowning, I leaned back and began to play with the bottle I had brought with me. I noticed he had one identical to mine, and if mine wasn't already half empty I might have gotten them muddled up. A few minutes past, and I kicked him under the table. He groaned softly and gave me a sharp glare, questioning my reasons behind my actions. I shrugged.

"Smile for me."

"You're still going on about that?" I nodded in response. "I failed to be born with the muscles used to smile."

I laughed, light heartedly at his comment, and shook my head. "No. Look, see?" My fingers were pressed up against his cheeks in an instant, pulling at his muscles to push his lips into an unknown position. He glared at me with his strange eyes and I let go, his mouth returning to a well known scowl.

"Pokey, you need to shave. Your cheeks are all prickly." I pouted, resting my head in my hands. Vaughn ignored my comment and went back to the Sudoku on the page with an air of disinterest. If I wasn't mildly intoxicated, I'd have taken that to be an 'alright, I've had my daily dose of you today, go home'.

"You have a fowl personality, you know that?" I said. "But I guess that's okay. Sometimes when you look good enough, it doesn't matter how bad your personality is, it won't stop people from gawking."

He glanced at me, and pulled his hat further down. His face was expressionless.

"I just wish you'd talk. I wish you'd smile. All you ever do is hide that attractive face of yours behind that hat." With a flick of my wrist I had his hat off his head. His knuckles cracked as his grip on the newspaper tightened, turning his already pale skin a stark white.

I picked up his hat and placed it on my head, imitating him. I showed him angry Vaughn, irritated Vaughn, indifferent Vaughn. Then I realised that each re-enactment was relatively identical to the last. He stared at me, having difficulty deciding whether he should have been annoyed or surprised. Eventually he just took his hat back and put it back where it belonged.

"Why's your hair silver anyway? How old are you? Old man…"

"It's always been that way. And it's none of your business how old I am."

"Fine then. Why aren't you married?"

I received a funny look. "Because I'm not interested in romantic relationships."

"Why not?"

"Because they're all futile." I was about to say something, but he placed his hand over my mouth to stop me. "Go home Chelsea, you're drunk."

I furrowed my brow and got caught in an intense staring contest with him. I wanted to know what made him think like that. I wanted to know what was going on in his head, and I wanted to know why he refused to smile and always acted so cold. But there wasn't much I could say when I had a hand cupped tightly to my mouth.

Finally, he took his hand away and stood, ready to leave. I realised then that today was not his usual schedule to which he came to the island, so he needed to head out again sooner or later.

I had always been an irritating person. Even as a child, my parents would often be at their wits end with me, even if I was supported by them whole-heartedly. My younger sibling had enough of me by the end of the school holidays, and I had adapted myself to not get frustrated or disappointed when someone told me to get lost. Even something as silent as standing up to get away did not leave me downhearted in any way whatsoever. In fact, you might have gone so far to say that it only served to spur me on further. Which not only made me irritating, but irritatingly persistent too.

By the time I had decided to follow after him, he was already out of sight. I bid everyone a quick goodnight and followed right after him. He had heard my footsteps, and issued me with a warning not to follow him. I ignored it.

"Why do you always do that? Leave when people are trying to be friendly. I don't get it." I said, catching up to him. "I mean…I reckon if you tried hard enough…people might actually like you instead of seeing you as a cold hearted jerk." For a second, I wondered where my lack of control had come from. But only for a second, it was a fleeting thought of little importance.

He stopped and turned to me, gripping onto my shoulders to prevent me from moving any further. "Chelsea, go home. Now-"

I don't know where it came from. Perhaps it was just the perfect opportunity. Perhaps it was my internal loneliness that acted on my behalf. Perhaps I had had far more to drink than I had realised. In an instant, I had caught both of us off guard with my actions. My eyes were squeezed shut as I pressed my lips to his, and I couldn't see the surprise written in his own. I had managed to shock him into immobility for a moment, but he soon found his wits and placed his hands on my abdomen to give me a rough push. I didn't seem to mind. In fact, I grinned up at him.

"Will you smile now?" For a long moment, his face become a muddled up ball of emotions. The mask, though only very slightly, had begun to shatter. I couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing either.

He sighed, looked away from a moment, before spinning me around and pushing me in the direction of my house. I wasn't ready to go home yet, but Vaughn was ready to get rid of me.

"I like your hands. They're so strong and…manly." Whether I actually said that out loud was up for debate because I received no reply from Vaughn and really, I could have been ranting my head off without even realising it.

"Pokey, are you going to come to my birthday party? I'd really like you to be there, especially since you're all old and gray and you'd be able to supervise us all like a good grandpa."

"I'll be working in the city. Do you expect me to go out of my way just to go to your birthday party?"

"Mmm…Yes."

His hands were taken away from my back, and I took a look at my surroundings. Oh, I was at my farm already. Wow, time flies when you're having fun.

I spun around to find Vaughn was already leaving. So I followed behind him like a lonely puppy, pining away from some well earned attention. He stopped and turned his body to the side, holding out his palm towards me. "Stop."

I stopped in my tracks and frowned. "Don't you like me?"

He glared at me and shook his head. "No, you're highly annoying, and you act without even thinking first. Now go into your house and go to bed before you can cause any more damage."

"Why don't you like me?"

"Go to bed Chelsea. I don't want you tripping over and killing yourself in your drunken state."

I sighed, nodded dismally and retreated, now not only a lonely puppy, but a scolded one too. It didn't click in my head that it was a friendly thought of worry that had sent me to bed that night. In my sluggish mind, the tone of his voice was enough to cause shivers down my spine. He was not good with people, and it was like he used the same authoritative outlook on humans as he used to keep control of the animals he worked with daily.

**A/N: **__**I loved writing this chapter, and I had a lot of fun with it. Finally, Chelsea and Vaughn are getting somewhere.**


	7. The Lead Up

There is something to say for the small, local party. By the time my birthday was walking round the corner, I was well and truly over the big shindig idea, and I made it very clear to the party planners that a small gathering and a nice cake was all that I wanted. I was certain from the tittering that happened every time I passed them, they were either planning on something overly dramatic, or they were going to take a trip to the city for my birthday. I was quick to tell them I did not wish to go anywhere near the city, and I gave them a lecture about the multiple reasons as to why I left the city to begin with. Being twenty-three was not of any great importance, as far as I was concerned. They had just missed out on the big day of adulthood by a year, and I had a feeling they were trying to make up for it in some way. I promised them that they could make a big deal of my thirtieth if they really saw the need. I would have liked to have said fiftieth, but I had a feeling that they wouldn't have forgotten the promise by then.

Certainly, the week that led up to the celebration was one full of plenty bustling about. I don't think I got a minutes peace between each and every person coming up and asking me what I wanted. I hadn't a clue what I wanted, and I just insisted that they needn't bother with any of it. It was more a thought on their economical situation rather than my own inability to come up with something good to get. I definitely had quite a few items of luxury building up on my wish list, most of them were large investments even for those with money to spare.

Though, I suppose the real shock came about when I got a phone call from home a couple of days before my birthday. Apparently, my blood relations had planned on seeing me home for my big day, considering my bad record for being there for birthdays lately. In fact, I had only been home to see them once when I moved to the island. They had been thoroughly disappointed when I told them they should have rung earlier about it, because my friends were already planning out the party for me here on the island.

It had been my younger sister who brought up the idea of compromise. The party was being planned for the island, so they would go out of their way to come to the island and finally meet the people I called my friends. But of course, being a compromise, it didn't swing my way entirely. I'd have to travel back with them and spend a couple days with the folks to keep them satisfied enough to know they weren't neglecting me, nor I them.

That meant that during all of the chaos of preparation, I also needed to get things set up for my little holiday. I knew I could trust everyone, but I pretty much gave Mark a week-long lease of my farm, knowing he'd cherish the experience more than anyone else. I was wary though, and I made sure to have a couple people check up on him, lest something go wrong. I trusted his ability to farm wholeheartedly, but I think the fact that I wouldn't be there to watch over him like a mother bear was something that constantly nagged me. I'd have to believe in Taro to check out on his progress daily, just as he had done when I had just started out.

And then there was Pierre. I don't think a moment went by without having seen him run as fast as his short little legs could take him, carrying a little tester plate and a spoon in hand. His own time had been taken up with a series of experiments and tests and study, all with a single thing in common: cake. I really felt indifferent to the whole thing, but I was polite and gave him my opinion on whatever he brought me. I refused to try anything that included anchovies and raspberries in the same sentence though.

All I wanted was a chocolate mud cake. But I couldn't break his little boyish heart.

At present, I was sitting with my feet swinging over the edge of the dock, the toe of my boots barely touching the water as it reached its highest point before receding again. Like any other visit, Denny was with me, though he knew very well I was more than a little distracted. After all, we were waiting for a very special boat to come, harbouring the fugitives I called my family.

"I reckon your sister looks exactly like you."

"She does."

"And your mum too."

"Yup."

"And your dad."

"Are you suggesting that my parents are actually siblings or something?"

"No, it's just…" I laughed and shook my head. I could only guess that he might have been the slightest bit excited about meeting his best friends family, despite the countless times I had told him that he was family too.

Not that I hated my real family, of course. I loved them too. I just grew tired of them being around constantly. I expect my children to think the same way of me to. Only, I'll be the mother who embarrasses them all the time, not the other way around.

It was then I looked up to see that a boat was coming forth towards the dock, far closer than I might have expected it to be. I thought I would have heard it. Of course, it was then that I heard _it._

My sister's high pitched squeal had pierced through the air, making the birds squawk and the animals skitter off in surprise. I got to my feet, jumped up and down and waved at the girl who was leaning over the bow of the boat. She waved back and nearly lost her footing.

"Wow, she's nearly as clumsy as you."  
"Clumsier, actually."

When the boat had come up by the pier and the sailor had fished out the ramp to let the passengers off, my darling little sister was the first to step foot on the wooden panels, only to have them leave again when she jumped on me in a bone crushing hug.

Her name was Adele. However, through the years she had gone by many, and it was only in recent history that she had settled with the name that she had been given at birth. Three years my junior, she was a couple inches taller than me, despite the general misconception of the older being the taller. Her hair was long and fashioned similar to mine, though it was not my mousey brown colour. In fact, it was such a dark shade of brown that it was on the borderline of black. Her facial features were similar to mine, though her eyes were sharp and her lips full. Other than that, and the age of us changing our features slightly, we were very similar.

"Chelsea! Where have you been, ditchin' your sister like that?" She whined as her feet finally hit ground again, and I no longer had to carry her weight in my arms.

I smirked, and shrugged in response. Denny looked between the two of us, scrutinising the similarities that we shared.

"Huh? Who's this cutie?" Ah yes, that was the sister I knew. Despite the apparent looks we shared, we had taken quite different directions in personality. I was much more compatible with the men, seeing as I didn't pride myself with girly necessities or the need to act like one. Adele was quite different in that sense. She enjoyed her makeup and being a part of a tight knit of girls. It was for that very reason that Adele's list of romantic relationships pipped mine at the post, seeing as I'd only had a few.

Denny was caught of guard, his dark eyes widened for a moment before returning to their normal 'cool, calm and collected' look. I laughed and shoved my sister. "This is Denny. He's my best friend."

"Oh, you told me about him. And you didn't mention he was cute! Ugh, I'm losing more and more trust in you every day."

We had been so absorbed in each other's presence I hadn't even noticed when my beloved parents had come off the boat. I did, however, hear my dad call my name and I quickly spun around before I was gathered in a big bear hug. One quick look at him and it became apparent where Adele had gotten her dark hair and sharp looks from.

"Hey dad…" I muttered into his jacket, enjoying the warmth of his body and the familiar smell of his cologne.

"Hey sweetie."

My father was an accountant. And he looked like one too. He had a sharp nose and an even sharper jaw, and a pair of black rimmed glasses that sat on the bridge of said nose. His eyes were brilliant silver, something I had always admired. His hair was jet black and rather messy, and it looked as if he spent most nights sleepless. He was tall, something that both of his children failed to inherit. He wore suits in the week and smart casual on the weekend, was an avid reader, and love my mother more than anything else.

Speaking of my mother, it was her own hand that pulled me from the grip of my father so she could have her own turn. I grinned at her and wrapped my arms around her, swaying from side to side. She was getting all emotional just seeing me.

My mother, in contrast to my father, was soft faced and kind eyed. I had gotten most of my looks from her, including the brown hair that sat on my head. Her eyes were blue, just as mine, and we were a similar height, though she might have been a smidge shorter. She was dressed in black pants and a red top, wrapped in a cardigan despite the warm weather.

She refused to let go of me for a long while, and when she finally did the look on her face told me she was contemplating whether or not to gather me up once more. I glanced over at Adele, who was still making doe eyes at Denny, who himself looked rather nervous.

"Well! This is my family I've told you all about! Mum, Dad, meet Denny. My bestest friend in the whole wide world!"

My mum greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, as if they were old time friends. My father opted for a more formal approach, shaking his hand and giving him a thorough once over.

We walked together as a group through town, and I couldn't help but hold a smile as I listened to my family talk and talk about how pretty of an island it was. I was proud. And I made sure to ignore any comments about the lack of facilities. We got a fare share of intrigued looks, though my company seemed oblivious to it.

I took them back to my house, where they made themselves comfortable. Surprisingly, my parents seemed to approve of my little homestead. They sat together on the couch, Denny by them, and whatever he was talking to them about had kept them enthralled. I went to the kitchen, planning to prepare a pot of tea for everyone. My sister followed.

"So, why's he your best friend?" She asked, leaning against the cupboard and watching me with a small smile.

I gave her a weird look. What kind of question was that? "Because I like him, and he's a great guy. And he likes me. That's why?" I answered, watching the kettle as it boiled away the water.

"No. I mean why isn't he your boyfriend?" Ah. That made sense.

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out in disgust. "Ew, I don't think of him that way! Besides, he's already got a girl. Her name's Lanna."

"Lanna like the pop star?"

"Yeah."

"She lives here?" It seemed to put Adele off for a moment, but she soon went back to her original endeavour. "Anyway… If you're as close to him as you've said, then you shouldn't have a problem stealing him away."

The kettle whistled, and I glared at her. Now I had to deal with her questions alongside the suspicions of the townspeople. I made up a pot of black tea and brought it out to the coffee table, before turning back to get a couple mugs. I gave my sister a look to tell her enough.

"You know, if you don't take him while you can… I might." She giggled and went into the living room, making herself comfortable next to Denny. I didn't like it. Not through jealousy, but the possible harm she might cause in the process.

It had been settled that my parents would be staying in my room, and I would sleep in the living room with Adele, after we rolled out the mattresses.

"You really must show us around, dear." My mother said, sipping on her tea and leaning into my father's arm. He simply nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I suppose I'll give you a tour tonight. I'll take you out to dinner at the Diner if you'd like. They sell some really nice food."

Denny suggested that I take them to the mountain's peak, because they'd love the view. I said that I would need the sleep, seeing as tomorrow would be a very big day for me. In reality, I was scared I might lose the squabbling bunch when we walked through the forest.

Eventually, I decided that I couldn't stand sitting silently, listening to my parents talk any longer. I stood and told them that I was going to tend to my animals before I'd take them out for the night. I beckoned Denny to follow.

When we were free of the constraints of the house, we walked together across the field towards my barn. For the most part, we walked in silence, excusing the few noises of surprise we'd make when one of us would unexpectedly tried to push the other over. When I started to herd the animals back inside for the night, Denny stood and watched.

"Your sister isn't like you very much…" He muttered, so quietly I wondered if I was meant to hear.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We're two different people, after all. Just don't get too worried when she tried to make a pass at you."

He made a soft noise in dismay, and continued to stay silent. "Would you at least help and catch the chickens?"

"Oh, sorry."

As I had promised, that evening I took them around for a tour of the town. I introduced them to each and every person, and we received a warm welcome wherever we went. I think my parents liked it, the friendly community I lived in. I wasn't so sure about Adele, she almost seemed put off by it. Or maybe the absence of cars was the problem.

The highlight had to be when I introduced them to the boy-gourmet. My parents started to talk to him like a young child, and when I pulled them away to tell them he was actually my age, they became rather embarrassed about it. My father made up for it by telling Pierre that he was doing such a good thing, baking a birthday cake for me. I don't think it worked, since Pierre already seemed a little annoyed.

The diner was empty, except for a few regulars. My family sat down at a table and Denny left us to meet up with Lanna, who was waiting patiently on the other side of the room. I was nudged by my sister as she questioned me about her. I answered them all with a look of disinterest.

I had sat beside my father, who pet me on the back and asked me about what I had been doing since I moved to the island. I was happy to tell him about that, and he seemed thoroughly interested about my endeavours as a rancher. My mother complimented the food.

"I can't believe my little girl is going to be twenty-three tomorrow." My father said, his eyes shining with pride. I blushed.

"You make me feel like a little kid."

My dad chuckled and pushed his glasses up his nose. "You still are. You have to remember, I'm an old man now." I didn't consider him that old. He was on the borderline of his fifties, but he was just as spritely as he was when I was a child.

"How's home been?" I asked, trying to divert the attention away from me. By the sounds of things, nothing much had changed. And anyway, in a couple of days I'd be seeing it for myself.

Adele twisted her noodles around her fork and looked up at me. "So where's this hot cowboy you talked about?"

It startled me a little. Of course, she was my sister, so it did not surprise me that she brought it up. I mentally slapped myself for ever mentioning him.

"He's only on the island two days a week. You won't see him." She pouted, and my parents exchanged glances. Then my mother asked the question. Yes, the question. The one that went on the lines of 'are you pursuing a relationship with this man?'. I rolled my eyes and told them that I found him attractive, but he had a terrible personality and I never planned on pursuing him. I added in a few gagging sounds when my father nearly started down the track of 'the birds and the bees'. He really did still think I was a little girl.

"But I want to meet him. Why isn't he coming for your birthday party? It's a special occasion." I shrugged, because I didn't know. That night I won the chicken festival held the answers, but I refused to think about it.

After all, I had kissed him that night. And now I found it to be as disturbing a thought as he did. Though we had not seen each other since then, I can only assume that there would be a silent agreement between us to never speak of the incident ever again.

"He's a busy person. I don't expect him to go out of his ways to be at a party celebrating the birth of a person he finds intolerable."

"I thought you said he liked you."

"Ha. No. He hates me."

The rest of the night passed similarly to this. It involved short sentences and simple questions, but most of all it had been a time to finally see each other again. By the time we had gotten up to go back home, the streets were dark and the lights of the houses were being turned off.

As we walked, my father pulled me under his arm, and I looked at him with curiosity. "Chelsea, there's something that I'd like to ask you. But only when we get home." By home, he meant his home, not mine. And he certainly knew how to make me nervous for the future.

Even when I asked, he didn't answer me. He was often like that, planting anxiety at the heart of people's minds. I didn't like that.

We went to bed the moment we got inside, and by the gentle breathing from my sister's sleeping form, I knew that they all slept quickly. I tossed and turned, feeling out of place, and I already missed my bed.

I didn't sleep very long. When I had finally drifted off, the sun was already rising. And it felt like only minutes had passed before my mother gently shook me awake to wish me a happy birthday. I smiled and hugged her.

**A/N: Tada!~ I liked this chapter. It's the lead up to the next two chapters, which I have already planned out. I hope you enjoyed it, learning a little about Chelsea's family. Oh, and if you find a pair like her parents, they're probably mine :P What better template to use other than your own parents eh?**

**Oh, and if you like this story you might like to check out the prologue for my other Chelsea/Vaughn story. Takes a different style, and when I wrote it I wondered what spurred me on to write this in first person. Ah well, check it out, might catch your interest.**


	8. Birthday Snuggles

As tiresome as it was to have your younger sister follow you around the entire morning of your birthday, I have to say I think it was a step up from the nagging I received when I didn't allow her to. The morning had gone well, for the most part, until Adele suggested that I helped her with my work so I could get to relaxing on my big day. I insisted otherwise, and we went through the whole argument of men's work and women's work, to experience and everything else I could bring forth. I didn't win the argument. I think I lost my nerve when she told me to scare my chickens out of the coop, seeing as it would be quicker than ushering them out as I did. I explained to her that it wouldn't work, because they could get stressed and sick.

Adele said nothing further and simply stuck to watching me. When everything was finished, I tightened my red bandanna a little tighter and looked over at her. "You know, you're pretty dedicated. When you first told us about it, you have no idea how much Mum and Dad doubted you."

I smirked and went to put an arm around her shoulders, she took a step back. "Yeah, well, I'm not all that surprised. They're…parents. They're meant to secretly doubt you. I think." I shrugged and walked back towards me house. I needed a shower.

I think she might have said something when I started to walk off, but the words were melted together and I couldn't make sense of it. It did not bother me further.

My shower was short. Not because I wouldn't have wanted a long shower, but the dodgy hot water system connected to my house killed out and I was forced to shower in the freezing cold water for half of it. My mother and sister seemed upset when I told them they'd have to shower in the cold. My father made no comment on it, apart from how he grew up in one of the coldest countries in the world and the pipes used to freeze overnight.

Someone knocked on the door, and I shuffled over to open it with a piece of toast sticking out of my mouth. It came as no surprise that it was Denny standing there with open arms. I smiled and hugged him, tenderly holding onto the slice of toast between my teeth.

"Ew, you're all old now." He muttered and pat me lightly on the back. When we withdrew I pulled the toast from my mouth and stuck my tongue out at him.

"So, when are we meant to head over to wherever the party is?" I asked, walking back into the kitchen. My mother was sitting at the table, reading a cooking magazine while munching on her own piece of toast. She looked up and smiled at Denny.

"Morning dear, sleep well?" She asked, as if they were long time friends. Denny didn't seem to mind.

"Very well, actually. Thanks for asking." He said, answering my mum. "Oh, the party's going to be in the diner this afternoon. Don't worry, it's all casual."

We sat together and I finished my breakfast just in time to see a soggy mass of hair dart across the door and into my bedroom. My sister had just gotten out of the shower, and my mum took it as the queue to take hers now.

"Hot water system's broke." I muttered to Denny, who was looking out the window, his chin held comfortably in the palm of his hand.

"Really? You should get a new one. That one's always breaking down on you."

I liked this. Being able to talk to my best friend without become overly excited about the birthday thing. If Denny was a woman, I was sure that I would have to deal with the retarded high pitched girly squeals and kisses, but he was a man, and that was something a cherished.

I was sure to get more than my daily dose of girliness when I greeted Julia this morning, though.

"Maybe that's what I'll put on my birthday list."

The rest of my morning was spent in anticipation. I felt like a little girl who knew that there was a big surprise waiting for her at the end of the day. And it was entirely true. I was jittery with nerves and excitement, anyone I passed would laugh and wish me a happy birthday. They were all in on an act that I couldn't fully comprehend.

I still had work to do, and I could not deny these things any further. I spent my day exploring, looking for things to sell because I would not be there for a whole week. I did not want my farm to go into deficit while I was away. I had to trust Mark.

Speaking of Mark, I needed to find him and talk to him about everything again.

I found him walking around town, and I quickly caught up with him and made my presence known with a loud 'Hey!' He was startled at first, his whole body stiffening in shock. When his eyes darted towards my face and he automatically relaxed.

"You like sneaking up on people?" He said, nervously. Mark's hand went to the back of his neck, and his scratched it with a sheepish look on his face.

"Yup! Are you ready to become a full on farmer?" I asked, deliberately bumping into him. His face automatically brightened up, and he lightly nudged me.

"That's right! I'm getting to take care of your farm for a whole week! I love you Chelsea." He smiled at me, and we walked back to my farm together. I gave him an overview of everything he needed to do, once more, and he smiled and took it all in like I hadn't already shown him everything just a few days previous.

I had just passed my watering can to Mark when I saw my beloved sister walk up the path to the farm. She skipped over to us, excited.

"Hey Chelsea the party—Oh hey, he's cute!" Her hands went to her cheeks and she greened at Mark, who was oblivious to what she was getting at.

"Yes. He's adorable. Now what were you saying?" I asked, taking my arm and putting it on her shoulder, a subtle reminder for her not to get distracted.

"Oh, the party is all ready now, you should come down." She said, quickly. Adele kept leaning from side to side, trying to get a better look at the young blonde who was working behind me. "You should have told me all your friends were so attractive. I was expecting a bunch of country hics that smoked tobacco and chewed on wheat."

"I guess I just wanted you to make your own first impression. Now let's go." 

**~X~**

"Happy Birthday Chelsea!"

I beamed at the group of friends that gathered around me, hugging me and giving their individual good wishes. Small and welcoming. This is what I wanted, and I was actually happy when people gave me presents. They weren't big by any standard, but a block of butter was as good as a t.v to me.

Pierre trotted over to me, his childlike features glowing with pride. "Come come, you must see my creation!" He ushered me to the table in the middle of the room, on which a magnificent cake sat.

It was covered in white butter cream, with lacy rhubarb red writing on the top which spelt out 'Happy 23rd Chelsea!' There were red and purple macaroons stuck to the sides of the cake, and they looked like giant m&ms to me.

I smiled at him, and patted him on the back. "It's amazing Pierre! What flavour is it?" I asked, because that really was the question. What crazy concoction had he come up with now?

Though, now that I think about it, it probably wasn't the best thing to do. I watched his slender fingers dart over the cake, explaining each and every aspect of it and what techniques he had used to do so. Natalie was watching with a look of endearment: I was fighting off the yawn I felt coming on.

"All in all, it's a wonderful marriage of beetroot and raspberries." Ah. That sounded… pretty disgusting. I just crossed my fingers and hoped it tasted as good as he made it out to be.

Natalie finally bounced out and grasped onto his shoulders, watching me with pride. "Isn't he just the best cook ever? He can make everything taste better, no matter what it is!" It was funny to see Natalie go doe eyed over someone, because it was so unlike her to do so.

I laughed and nodded my head, but did not omit that I still believed that anchovies would not have gone well in the mix. Sadly, the two of them both agreed, and I had a feeling they must have experimented with the ingredients after I had already told Pierre that I did not want anchovies in it.

Even so, I hugged Pierre and thanked him again, and he continued to beam up at me for the praise he received. It was only a matter minutes before we got to try it anyway.

Turning around to check what was going on, I saw my lovely sister trying to coax Denny into something he was evidently not comfortable with. His eyes searched the room, and when he spotted me they silently pleaded at me for rescue. I rolled my eyes back at him, and his look only escalated in intensity. I sighed and walked over there.

"… You know, Lanna is pretty and all but-"

"Hey guys! What's going on?" I jumped in between them, preventing anything from going on further. Adele glared at me and Denny exhaled in relief.

"Nothing. I was just making friendly conversation with Denny." She said, huffed up that I had ruined her chance to flirt her way into Denny's heart.

"Oh, yeah, that's nice." I muttered, uninterested. Linking my arm in Denny's just to prove a point, my sister sulked off, defeated.

"Thanks."

"I've dealt with it before. You know, high school is the worst when your sister is trying to make your best friend her boyfriend. It's not a nice experience." I shuddered, and Denny laughed. Lanna skipped over, taking claim over the man once more. She smiled at me.

"Hey Chelsea! How are you?" She chirped, and I answered her with just as much enthusiasm. Our relationship had grown considerably well since I had helped her get what she had been pining for not a few weeks ago. I had told her on multiple occasions that it really was no bother, and that I had enjoyed myself more than anything setting it all up. For some reason, she had it stuck in her head that it would have caused financial difficulties for me.

Well, of course it did. But I wasn't going to go admitting that, now would I?

Suddenly, the sound of metal tapping glass came from the middle of the room, and heads turned to see Pierre tapping a champagne glass full of apple juice. "It's time we all sang happy birthday and cut the cake!"

Ushered towards the cake as the lights dimmed and the candles were lit, I started to laugh to myself at the innocence of the whole thing. I was certainly glad we were not celebrating in the city.

Singing ensued, and I smiled like I should have. I watched all the faces in the room smile back at me, singing those words you hear once a year, and yet they still make you feel as great as they did when you were ten. I wondered what it would have been like to see Vaughn there. Would he have sung along, or would he have turned his head away and ignore it all. It didn't really matter, he had stayed true to his word and did not go out of his way to come for my birthday celebration. I knew I could trust his word for some things.

My father's glasses flashed in the firelight, my mother's hand clasped by his. They loved each other, they always had and always would. Sure, my childhood could remind me of countless times where they fought, but that never separated them. Once more, I was wondering to myself if I would ever find something like that. A man to love me. Right now, it seemed the most unlikely thing in the world.

"Happy birthday, to you…"

I blew out the candles on cue and everyone cheered in a long line of hip hip, hooray! I laughed as everyone started to clap, and I didn't even notice Mirabelle come up to the table, holding up her hands to quiet everyone.

"Huh? What's this about? I want cake!" I cried out, leaning over the table in confusion. Mirabelle smiled at me, motherly.

"Well, we have to open the presents before we eat cake."

"Huh? But I…" Confused, I watched as the crowd separated and revealed Julia, carrying a small bundle of fur in her arms. I squealed in delight when I realised just exactly what it was. I must have dashed around the table at lightning speed just to greet her.

She laughed and held the young pup out to me. It was small, just shy of four weeks, I presumed, and had nuzzled its head into the sleeve of her shirt, suckling on its material as if it were her mother's teat. It whimpered and writhed as it was taken away from a place it was very comfortable in.

"She's only young…" Julia started as she brought the delicate little thing towards me, nestling it in the crook of my arm. "The mum died just a week ago, there were some complications and… Well, it's pretty grisly, I'll spare you the details. The owner needed to get homes for the pups as soon as possible. And seeing as your birthday was coming up… Happy Birthday, Chelsea."

I was absorbed by the young puppy in my arms, which had soon stopped its noises as it searched the skin of my arm with its little wet nose. Her fur was soft, brown, with a little splash of white over her snout. I did not know her breed, but I did not care. She was beautiful.

"Thank you so much, Mirabelle, Julia…" I whispered, never once taking my eyes of my new pet dog. The room had been silent, and I could hear a few of the girls in the room go 'aww'. Gannon must not have been pleased: his big shadow had moved and slowly receding as he moved to the back of the room.

"Alright, cake time!" Mark called out, the first to have a plate in his hand. I giggled quietly and joined the line, unable to let go of the bundle in my arms because I refused to let her out of my sight. I needed a name for her now.

Sitting together, enjoying each other's company, laughing and joking around. That's what I wanted, and I got it. Only now I chided anyone who laughed to loud, for I was a brand new parent. I felt the maternal instincts that came with caring for young bubble to the surface.

"Pierre! This cake is disturbingly good! I love it!" I called out to the other side of the table, and he blushed softly and whispered a thanks. I was glad we had him to invent all these crazy flavours, but they worked. I was silently glad that I did not find an anchovy in my cake.

It was a shame the party had to be cut short. I would have liked to stay longer. But unfortunately the boats to the island had a set schedule, and they were far apart. We left now, or we left at three in the morning.

"Alright Mark, I left the instructions on the table. You just need to water my crops and feed the animals while I'm gone. Don't raid my fridge, or else I will kill you." I said, still rocking the puppy in my arm. I knew that I would not be able to bring it with me, but I did not want to tear myself away from her.

But Mark understood that the little creature was just another one of his chores he had to deal with while I was away.

Tenderly wrapping his hands around it, the puppy started to whimper once more after having been disturbed for the second time that night. It's little face wrinkled as it wailed and snuffled around, tiny eyes barely open.

"Don't worry Chelsea. I've got it all under control. I'll make a bed up for the little guy tonight." He said.

I sighed and nodded, kissing his cheek in thanks. He blushed.

Denny was the next to say farewell, and I held on tight as we hugged. "Don't do anything crazy while you're gone." He muttered into my ear. I laughed.

"You know I can't promise that." I whispered back.

When we separated, he took off his purple bandanna and held it out to me. I stared at it in confusion. "Here, we swap for the week. So we always have a little part of each other with us." I felt myself getting all choked up over this sentimental passing, pulling off my own red bandanna and swapping with him.

We retied them to our heads and complimented our new looks.

When we got on the boat, I leaned over the edge and waved until I could see them no more. My parents were quick to take me in and talk to me like they used to, filling me in on life back in the city. I was not all that interested in it, but I kept myself as enthused as I possibly could when they talked.

The boat ride was long and boring. I managed some well earned sleep on the boat, as well as when we got into the car and drove back to our house. I had mixed emotions seeing our old house again, the memories of my childhood flooding back as I dragged my suitcase in behind me. The stairs looked the same, as did the furniture. My room had changed a little, there was now a computer and a desk on the side of the room where my wardrobe once sat. My bed was still there, much to my relief, and was dressed in the same bed sheets I remembered it to be. I wondered if they actually changed it when I left.

Coming downstairs I found that there was my second birthday cake for the day. Small, simple sponge cake, just like I had wanted. I kissed my mum and thanked her as we celebrated my birthday in a small family gathering for the second time that night.

**A/N: Sorry this was…two/three days late. I just didn't have the inspiration to write this chapter. I also had a bunch of assignments due and everything else and yeah. Or perhaps it was the fact that this has been the second chapter in a row without Vaughn. Oh noes! BAH!**

**I would like to make a point that I love you all. You guys are amazing, especially those that give me reviews and words of encouragement. If it wasn't for you I probably would have given up. And, watching the traffic thingy amazes me, seeing all the different countries in the world. It's really amazing how the internet can make a hundred miles just a click away.**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be out on Friday, as per usual (nearly finished it already!) and Can't wait to see you next time! Oh, and if your wondering, Beetroot and Raspberry? It's actually based off a macaroon tower made by the famous Australian pastry chef, Adriano Zumbo.**

**Oh, and if you're a reader of my other story Frozen Hearts, it may not be updated until next week, seeing as working on one story is far easier than two while you have assignments to deal with.**


	9. Conflict of Interest

When my father sat me down in the living room, I knew something was going down. Throughout my life, the only times my father would ask me to sit in the living room for a chat was when he was disappointed, confused, or opportunistic about something I had done.

What he told me sent all three of those emotions through me at the same time.

"So, what do you think?" He asked, leaning forward. He had his hands clasped together and his elbows resting on his thigh, his silver eyes staring at me with curiosity.

I opened my mouth, unsure was what to say. "I…I don't know. This is big…"

My own father had given me the opportunity to get into vet school, something I had wanted to do my whole life. I was getting a free ride in because of all the hard work he had put in to the cause. I should have jumped up and kissed him, taking it up without a second thought. But I was having second thoughts. I thought back to my farm, my new life, everything I had built for myself. And it all suited me perfectly.

What if I did become a Veterinarian and I ended up regretting it? By the time I finished all the education I'd be in my early thirties, and my farm would have most certainly been sold off. I would lose my best friends, and I would be wishing the idea of a husband and kids in the near future away.

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime." He said, his voice soft. "Your mother and I are just concerned for your future, that'But that doesn't mean I don't want you to think it through thoroughly. It's a big decision, and I know everything is going great for you now. Don't take it lightly."

I swallowed and looked down at my hands. They were shaking. In a matter of years, I could be a fully qualified vet.

"I'll need time. I have to weight it all up. Because right now, I'm not sure." I admitted, and he stood up to hug me close to his chest. The sound of his beating heart soothed me, and I closed my eyes when I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"Take all the time you need." He muttered into my bandanna. I smiled, though it was not genuine.

"Hey, sis, you're coming with me to a party tonight!" My sister called, her head popping around the corner. "You needa dress up for it though, so get ready now!"

**~X~**

I was dressed to impress, so to speak. It had been years since I had been to a city party, even longer since I went to one which involved dressing up in character. So I snitched one of my dad's old tweed blazers and improvised, coming up with something that was similar to the eleventh doctor's costume. I liked Doctor Who.

My sonic screwdriver consisted of a real screwdriver covered in foil, a few random little appendages and a green marble super glued to the top. I was proud of my efforts. However, Adele was not proud of my inability to dress feminine, and threatened to have me go as a playboy bunny.

For once, she did not win the argument, and I remained a woman who refused to entice males with her figure, hiding it away inside a dodgy last minute costume. At least it made my dad laugh. It was good to lighten the mood in the house, particularly after hearing my parent's concerns for my future. Still, I couldn't get that thought out of my head. I had the opportunity, would I take it?

"Oi, when'd you learn to drive?" I commented as my sister stepped onto the driving side of the car. She shrugged, and mentioned that even if she hadn't she would still be more capable than me, considering I hadn't driven in years. Sadly, she had a point. I do not know who she was trying to imitate with what she wore, I could only assume it was some anime character when taking in the details of it all. I just wondered how she could drive wearing the pointy boots she had on.

"So, do you reckon you're gunna go back to school?" She asked when we were well away from the house. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"I don't know. Half of me wants to…"

"And the other half?"

"The other half wants to continue farming until the day I die. I love my life as it is now. But something… I don't know. When I was little I always wanted to be a vet, but I never got the opportunity."

"And now that same opportunity is standing right in your face." She said, the tone of her voice telling me she understood entirely. Unlike me, Adele had opted to take a gap year before heading into university. She never really had a set path in life, so it was no surprise to us that she would take an extra year to decide on a course.

The rest of the drive remained silent, though the air felt agitated. I was glad to see the lines of cars parked along the narrow city street when we turned the corner, because it meant that soon enough, I'd be out of there. I hardly remembered the names of my classmates, and those I did remember, I didn't fancy seeing.

I suppose it was unfortunate that the guy who opened the door happened to be an old friend.

"Chelsea!" Terence exclaimed, abruptly gathering me up in a hug. "We heard you were in town! How's life been for you, roughing it?"

I pulled back and smiled at him. Tall and lean, with a mop of blonde hair. Just like he used to be, only now he was dressed as Malfoy from Harry Potter.

"I wouldn't consider it 'roughing it', but yeah, alls good." I was about to start on a nice friendly chat about farm life, but Terence ruined it by calling out to the people in the room and making my presence very well known.

I didn't know half the people, though the ages in the room ranged from eighteen to thirty. It was easy to tell who knew who, and that half of the people that were present were dragged along by someone else, creating the diverse age range that was there. However, everyone was dressed up, so the looniness of the whole thing did not faze anyone- we were on an equal playing field.

I didn't enjoy myself as much as I might have liked to. Nagging thoughts at the back of my head were the only things to keep me company. After the initial shock wore off, no one seemed in the slightest bit interested about my farming endeavours, or even my presence. I couldn't blame them, they were city folk.

Keeping company with the endless supply of soft drink and fruit punch, I never hovered far from the side of the room, simply watching my sister walk and talk like she owned the place. Someone's conversation caught my ear, though I could not put a voice to a face.

"…You might know her, since you're in that business and all."

"I doubt it."

"Just go up and meet her. She's been standing by herself the whole time."

"I can't help with that."

When they got closer, I could certainly pick out that they were talking about me. Partly because I recognised one voice to be Terence's, and the other was that I was the only one by myself in the whole house.

It was a shock to the system when I saw my favourite cowboy shoved through an opening in the crowd. And the look he gave the person who shoved him only confirmed it was actually him.

"What on bloody earth are you doing here, Pokey?" I shouted out to him, putting on my best British accent.

He stared at me. And then he turned around to leave.

What were the chances that both of us would be dragged along to the same party without even realising the connections. What were the chances that he would even be at a party? It did cross my mind that he was a human being, who probably had some sort of friend network in the city, and that he might have enjoyed their company far more than he would ever enjoy mine. If he did, it was something I'd never hear an answer to. However, even if that were true, was it even possible for us to be stuck together at the same party when there had to be hundreds on in the inner city region alone?

"Hey!" I ran up and grabbed him arm, yanking him back towards me. If he was here, I might as well make the best of it and talked to someone I could stand. "You could have at least dressed up."

"They think I am." He was right, dressed up in his usual, the people of the party would have thought it just fine for him to be dressed like that. "And what are you meant to be?" He signalled to the tweed blazer I wore.

"Matt Smith. Doctor Who." I said, pulling out my makeshift sonic screwdriver. He winced at its appearance.

We stood there, in awkward silence. Neither of us looking at each other, but not looking at anything in particular either. I didn't like it.

"Since when do you go to parties?" I muttered, glancing up at him. I couldn't see his face under his broad rimmed hat, and the lighting of the room cast an ominous shadow on what I could see of his features.

"I don't. Forced." He stated coldly, turning around to glare at someone in the crowd. I saw a thumb's up shoot up from the middle of it, and I could only assume that was whoever brought him along.

I think we were both tired of the atmosphere. Each of us had been entirely segregated from the party, self-inflicted or not, because none of us were in a party mood for one reason or another. My mind was still worried, and he was… Vaughn. Despite the silence that fell between us once more, I suppose it wasn't as uncomfortable as it had been, or might have been.

I could see that we had grown awkwardly closer in the past weeks. Whether by accident or just the natural fondness that comes with time, I don't know. I guess being in with the men helped the process, and made it more likely for him to be around when I was socialising. I might have even gone so far to say that we were building a friendship. I would not voice that though, because it would certainly send him on a rampage.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

Huh? Wait, what? I grabbed my throat, wondering if I had said that without even realising. But I knew I had heard correctly. My voice wasn't that deep, velvety sound. No, that was Vaughn's. And if I was correct, he had suggested that we spend time with each other. This was insane.

I glanced at the punch and wondered if somebody had spiked it while I wasn't looking.

"Let's get out of here." Ignoring the impulse to link my arm in his and skip with him like we were following the yellow brick road, I opted for the more business like approach and followed behind his tail with a expressionless appearance.

The air outside was cool, and I realised just how steamy it had gotten in the small city house. Vaughn made no pause to see if I was there and continued to walk down the street. I don't think he would have cared if I was there or not, really. I jogged up to his side and looked up at him.

"Do you usually get dragged to parties?" I asked, tilting my head to the side curiously.

He glanced down at me for a second, then said "Stop with the British accent, it's annoying. Like you."

"Sorry."

The remainder of our walk went as such. I would say something, he would reply with another completely off topic comment, and I would apologise for something that wasn't even my fault. I guess it was better than having him say nothing at all.

A glimpse of the moon's reflection on rippling water caught my attention, I realised we must have been walking for at least an hour. I stopped and went up to the edge of the path, watching the boats rock gently in their places, tied to the dock. The city's marina didn't seem all that scary when no one was there.

Vaughn noticed my abrupt stop, and begrudgingly paused to see what I was doing. He caught the sight of me walking down the steps that lead from the city pathways to the wooden boardwalk that ran over the sand. He followed.

"The ocean's so pretty at night." He grunted in response and I simply ignored his nonexistent enthusiasm.

When I diverted off the boardwalk and onto one of the dock's, he followed again. I was surprised at the ease it was to get him to follow.

I stopped at the edge and sat down, watching the water underneath me. The gelatinous forms of a few native jellyfish fluttered across the surface and I smiled.

"Do you like being in the city?"I asked, watching as he came to sit beside me.

He shrugged, watching the water just as I had. "It's where I live. Can't do much about that. It's better at night though. But it depends where you are too." I nodded my head in agreement, I knew very well what he meant by that statement.

I continued to ask questions, seeing as he was finally answering them. "If you don't like it, why don't you move to the island?"

"I wouldn't get the work over there. My job involved moving animals, remember?" He said.

And then he did something I never saw him do. He took off his hat and sat it down beside him. Vaughn's silver hair shone in the moonlight, and I daresay that the milky shine of the moon cast a wondrous light on his attractive features. I found myself staring.

His purple eyes stared back at me, and he rose a brow. "What?"

"N-nothing." I stammered, looking away suddenly. I felt the blood rise to my face, and I wondered if I was actually blushing. "I was… just… I'm sorry about last week. When I… yeah." Despite my broken sentences, he understood what I was referring to. He coughed.

"Yeah. No worries. Just…don't let it happen again."

Silence prevailed once more, and a warm summer wind blew around us. I shrugged off my father's tweed suit jacket and rolled up my sleeves, prevailing with a very manly appearance. I guess it was time for us to shed an item of clothing, because Vaughn unbuttoned his suede vest and removed it.

Vaughn glanced over at me and muttered "Happy birthday, by the way." I thought I might have seen a smile, or at least a ghost of a smile. But I could not be sure.

"Thanks. Julia and Mirabelle got me a puppy. She's so beautiful, I was sad I couldn't take her with me." I said, thinking back to my farm and the little bundle of fur that would be sleeping in a small bed made out of an old sweater and a cardboard box.

"I know." He said. "I was the one who suggested it."

I had nothing to say to that. What could I say? He had actually suggested a birthday gift for me. I smiled at him, shyly. He looked back at me with an expression that told me that he expected that reaction from me. "No need to thank me." I nodded softly and continued to smile to myself. It was almost…touching.

"Do you reckon the water's cold?"

"You aren't planning to jump in, are you?"

"…No?" He frowned at me. I didn't think he would have caught on that quickly. "Maybe."

"It's probably freezing." I shrugged in thought, watching the water ripple as I leaned down to kick it. "Can't be that cold. It's summer."

"If you drown, I'm not saving you." I shot him an appalled look, and he stared at me as if it was obvious.

"Fine then." I took it as a challenge to prove I wasn't going to drown. I got to my feet and kicked off my shoes, setting them beside my jacket. I proceeded to unbutton the blue blouse I had on, chucking it over to my mound of clothing. I glanced behind us, glad to see that the entire place was empty. I did not hesitate to take of the suit pants I had on, though I regretted it later. It was not the best idea when I stood there in my boyshorts and singlet, giving Vaughn a fine view of the figure I tried so desperately to hide. The look on his face said it all.

"Bye then." I dove into the water. The initial shock of being plummeted into cold water washed over my skin, and I got goosebumps from it. He was right, it was pretty damn cold. When I turned through the water to come back up to the surface, Vaughn was standing up, searching the water for me. The light refracted strangely through the water, and I believe that was why I thought I saw a look of fright on his face. My head popped up over the surface, and I took in a deep breath.

Staring up at Vaughn with raised eyebrows, I smirked. "Well?"

"You're insane _and _annoying."

"Thanks."

"Now get out. You'll get hypothermia." He stated, crouching down and holding a hand out to me. I shook my head and continued to wade through the water.

"It's actually pretty warm." I lied. "I know you love me and all, but there's no need to worry about me, Pokey." He rolled his eyes at me and stood back up, denying me a second chance.

"You should join me."

"No."

I smirked at him and used the power of my legs to spur me up through the water, grabbing onto his ankle and plunging back in. As dangerous as it was to do, I was going to have my way whether he liked it or not. I heard the water crash as his body became fully submerged into it, and I heard the multiple profanities that came from his lips when his head re-emerged.

"You idiot! Do you know how dangerous that was? What if I hit my head on the dock, huh? Do you think you'd be able to drag a fully grown man out of the water!" He hissed at me, his amethyst eyes furious. I smiled at him coyly and sent a little wave of water his way.

"Don't worry. You're not dead." I mused, floating onto my back and watching the stars. He was literally seething, and he pounced on me in an instantly, pushing down on my abdomen and sending me into the water. Caught off guard, I hadn't the time to take a breath and I struggled up to the surface for air.

"Hey! What are you doing! Some kind of payback?" I glowered at Vaughn. He was holding onto the dock with one arm, and he was glaring at me. Just about to lift himself out of the water, I jumped onto his back and dragged him down again. There was no way he could pull both himself and a female body out.

"Let go."

Snuggling into his silver, wet locks just to prove I wasn't going anywhere, I found his hair to be rather soft and comfortable. It smelt and tasted salty, just like the water it had had a thorough dunking in. I expected him to jerk his head away from me at any moment, but instead I heard the soft rumble of his deep chuckle. His anger had dissipated into amusement.

His hand left the dock and we sunk into the water due to our combined weight, and I was forced to let go of him partially. I pouted when his silver head turned around, though I wasn't disappointed when I saw his face, smirking. Half way to a smile.

"You really are an annoying little girl."

"You really are a jerk of a cowboy."

"I know."

I got lost in the intensity of his eyes, the sparkle of the moon hitting his wet cheeks. I could have stopped treading water and start to sink, and I don't think I would have noticed. It was a strange sensation I hadn't ever experienced before, and as hard as I tried to shake it off, I just couldn't.

I had a feeling Vaughn felt it to.

Closing my eyes, I sighed softly, hoping closed lids would stop me from feeling the odd things I had. It only willed me to open my eyes again. When I gave up and looked again, Vaughn was still watching me silently, considering something I would never get. I felt forces act on me, pushing me towards him. My body shivered, not from cold but from certain anticipation I didn't quite understand. I was wading in the warm summer water, staring into the eyes of a very attractive man. Was it that odd that I felt the urge to make contact? The look in his eyes almost seemed to be telling to do something, like he was silently egging me on.

It felt like an eternity as our bodies came together. I don't know how it happened. Perhaps the natural current of the water had been slowly pushing us together, or maybe, without even thinking, the warmth that radiated from his body attracted me closer. Our noses touched and I could feel his hot breath brush against my lips, and as much as I hate to say it, I was enticed. There was no longer any eye contact involved in the situation. My own eyes fluttered shut when I felt his hand take gentle hold of my shoulder, keeping me in place.

Something in my head woke up and I realised where this was going, and no matter what angle I looked at it from, it all seemed wrong. Apart from physical attraction, there was no emotional side to what I felt for Vaughn. My thoughts were deceiving me, making me feel emotions that I did not link together with the cowboy before me. It made no sense to me. I thought that the loneliness I had been feeling these past weeks had gotten to me, twisting my emotions. Or maybe the fork in the road had left me wanting nothing more than comfort in making a decision that could change my whole life.

I turned my head to the side, thinking it was the right thing to do. I cringed when I felt a rush of disappointment. He quickly grabbed onto the dock and dragged himself away, his amethyst eyes wide in shock, and maybe even in anxiety.

"I think we should go."

I agreed silently and pulled myself out of the water. Leaving no time for myself to dry out, I pulled on my clothes once more, only they too became soaked in a matter of minutes. The warm summer air had turned stone cold around us, and I shivered.

Vaughn's walking pace was incredibly brisk. I struggled to keep up with it, and eventually I lagged so far behind that the only thing I made sure to do was to keep him in my sight lest I get lost.

My sister was curious as to why I had come back soaking wet with a cowboy. I told her the truth. I told her that it was Vaughn, the man I had told her about. She was as surprised as me at the coincidence. I told her that I jumped into the ocean and dragged him in with me. I said nothing more than that. Because really, when you boiled it all down, nothing else really happened.

And I never would admit it, but I kind of felt disappointed.

**A/N: wooah, this chapter was long, eh? Sorry bout that, to all you short chapter lovers. My chapters ain't as short as some peoples, but I do think some things need more words than less. And an important scene such as this deserved a long chapter.**

**Didja like it? I hope ya did! **


	10. Contemplation

He didn't understand. He just…didn't understand. Ten years. Ten years of hard work he had put in to preventing himself getting close to _anyone. _And now he found himself getting close to that… rancher girl.

He didn't understand.

For the past two years he had simply spent it deflecting her snide remarks with his own, if they ever even conversed. And now… just last night he had nearly kissed her. If there were a thousand things he could pick about what he hated about her, at least he had to thank her from stopping them from doing anything stupid.

His only conclusion for his rash decision was that the drinks they had provided at that party were obviously drugged in some way. Whether it be alcohol or the like. He didn't care, he just refused to believe that he would actually do something like that with a sound mind. Not that he could consider his mind to be sound, even on the best of days.

Then why did he feel so bad that they hadn't?

Vaughn groaned, flopping down to the cracked leather couch. He raised his palms up to the sides of his head, applying some force as he massaged his aching temples. That damned girl was giving him a headache.

Women. Women were the source of all his pain. His mother, his girlfriends… they all lead to tragedy. It had taken years of work to build the fragile cord of trust that held him to Julia and Mirabelle, and it could have broken in a second. So why was Chelsea weaving her own thread, tying him to her emotionally and physically.

Maybe that was it. Chelsea had a pretty face, he could admit that. Maybe, when she had taken the challenge to go for a swim and stripped down to her undergarments… Vaughn was attracted to her body? Well, he certainly was, but he couldn't base everything on a simple attraction. But maybe that was what started it all?

Vaughn had taken the day off, complaining of severe headaches due to heatstroke. It was a blatant lie, but the extreme heat made it believable. And Vaughn hadn't taken a single day off work since he began in the animal trading business- his boss could trust his word. The fact was he doubted he'd even be able to work if he went. He'd probably have ended up putting incorrect shipment numbers to the wrong place and screw everything over anyway.

He rolled over onto his stomach, burying his face in the soft pillow that sat at the arm of the couch. His leg's barely fit on the other end: they were bent at the knees and poked up at an uncomfortable angle. Why was he so damned tall?

"You lazy git…"

Vaughn's head tilted up from the pillow, and his violet eyes cracked open for a split second. Ah, of course _she _was there to bug him.

"You know, when you pull a sicky you should at least try to get something constructive done." The woman said, prancing into the kitchen and putting the kettle on to boil.

_That woman, _Vaughn thought, _is going to be the end of me._

Her head popped around the corner, and she grinned. "N'aww, poor Vaughnie is a lovesick puppy."

Her name was Samara, and she was Vaughn's temporary roommate. They were forced to board together recently, and neither of them liked each other all that much. She was incredibly short, but her wicked personality made up for any height deficiencies. Her hair was a silken black, and despite the pretty colour, its form was ruined due to a whole lot of dodgy layering. Her eyes were like dark chocolate, and she was a very beautiful woman. The only problem was she was far too sultry for Vaughn's liking.

She was constantly teasing him, much like Chelsea. Only, it wasn't in a good way. It was far too provocative, especially when the woman that was enticing him was an old friend's fiancé.

When she came out of the kitchen, she carried with her two steaming mugs of tea. Sitting down on an equally tattered armchair, she leaned out to Vaughn and held out one of the cups to him. Though she probably never meant it in this circumstance, her low cut shirt gave him a fine view of her cleavage.

"I've only known you a couple weeks… But boy, you _need _to tell me about this girl of yours." Her voice was not held the same way as an American's, she had a Southern London accent. Vaughn hated it.

"There is…" He started, exasperated, "No girl."

Samara tilted her head to the side, confused. "Oh, so it's a boy then?"

She hardly seemed to take any notice as Vaughn jumped, startled that she had even suggested it. In face, she made herself comfortable and crossed her legs in a feminine posture. "I suppose that'd make sense. You're so strong and handsome… Why is it that all gay men have to be attractive?"

"I'm not gay." He hissed.

"You sure?" As he stood, ready to pounce on the woman, she rose a hand and backed down on her original plan to push it further. "Okay, okay. Mercy."

Doctor Colin Lestrade was a heart surgeon who had recently moved from England. It was when Vaughn received a nice knock to the chest, and the Doctor was on call when they first met. Both of them equally anti-social and devoted to their line of work, they clicked. Well, not exactly, but they understood each other's body language well enough to get along. When Colin brought his girlfriend to lunch one day, Vaughn was surprised to see the woman was entirely polar opposite of him.

Colin, reserved and shy, was dating Samara, a sultry vixen who Vaughn had never seen sober.

Unfortunately for Vaughn, Colin was very set in his ways. He was not having the woman living with him. He was going to wait for their wedding night, despite Samara's pleas. And that's how he got stuck with the woman.

Samara stood up and made herself comfortable in Vaughn's lap, who stayed thoroughly detached throughout the whole experience. He was used to it by now. When she ran her slender finger down his cheek and along his jaw line, he spared her a glance.

"Is she cute?"

"Adorable."

"So there is a girl!"

"No, there isn't."

"Wha-!"

Vaughn stared at her, and she pouted. Vaughn wondered how Colin even managed to snag this disturbingly beautiful woman. Not that Vaughn would have wanted her, she was too damn annoying and sex driven. Maybe that's what Colin liked. The virgin liked the woman with experience.

When she finally moved off his lap, he stood and started to make his way to his bedroom. "I hate you."

"I'm not particularly fond of you either, sweetie."

He was glad as all hell that he was hardly around, or he might have been tempted to strangle the woman.

He heard the sound of soft footsteps following him, and when he walked through the door of his bedroom he slammed the door to make his point known. He heard her curse in Italian on the other side of the wall, but he didn't care in the slightest.

Right now he needed time to think. And some food, but food could come later.

Vaughn fell on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was stark white, and the perfect base for an internal movie to play on. And he definitely wasn't in the mood for the romantic tragedy that was playing inside his head at the time.

There was a light knock on the door. "Vaughn, baby… I'm bored. Take me out?"

Vaughn scowled at the door, his violet eyes flashing in the light. She had to call on him now, when he was very busy discussing with his other brain on the occurrences of last night. He knew that Samara could not drive on the right side of the road, and he knew that she had an adopted phobia of public transport. So, unless she felt like walking, he was her only ticket around- unless her dear fiancé wasn't on shift at the time.

"Don't call me baby." He barked at the door.

"Alright, alright." He heard a sigh. "Please take me out? I want to buy something nice for Colin…"

He squeezed his eyes shut. When she mentioned something _nice _it generally came from Victoria's Secret. Vaughn could hardly get the last image she had drilled into his head when she dragged him in.

"I'm talking about a dress you know?" She called, sounding ticked off. He had a feeling Samara knew exactly what he was thinking. "I'm not that tarty. I just want something formal because I want to take him out."

"How much skin?"

"Only as much that it's considered acceptable."

He groaned and willed himself up into a sitting position. Grabbing onto the sturdy hat that was sitting beside him, his boots clicked against the wood. His daily routine became obvious- there were scuff marks trailing towards the door from his room to his bed, and the wood had worn considerably in some areas.

When he opened the door he was greeted by the warm eyes of Samara, who was already dressed in her leather jacket and heavy cargo boots. Even with the extra height, she was still diminutive next to his strong frame. He smirked at the flicker of disappointment he saw cross her face.

She was very self conscious about her height.

"So are you gonna take me?" She asked, rocking back and forth on her heels.

He shrugged in response and went into the kitchen to grab the keys to his car. They were collecting dust in a little nook on the bench, and Vaughn wondered if all the fuel had leaked out from the dingy metal death trap he drove. Maybe, if he was lucky, the thing would break down before they even left the apartment complex' car park.

It was a shame that it was working extraordinarily well today. The car and Vaughn did not see eye to eye on some things, it seemed.

"I find it pretty attractive when a man can drive a stick-shift." Samara murmured, watching them move through the city streets at a sluggish pace. "It's even better when the same man can ride a horse just as well."

Vaughn snorted and turned down a side street "Thanks."

Soon, they came to find a free park along a street, and they walked the rest of the way to main shopping street of the city. People filed along with no concerns for the shoulders they bumped, and the feeling of claustrophobia was high. The only thing that saved Vaughn was his massive height advantage. It was a lucky thing for his partner that she was not subject to feeling pressed in at any moment. In fact, he'd go so far to say she enjoyed the feeling of it.

"Vaughn, you know the city better than I do. Are there any nice formal stores here?" He shrugged, unsure himself. He never went shopping…

"Oh! Vaughn, stop! Stop!" He felt the tug on his sleeve as he was dragged through the crowd by a girl using all her might just to do so. And then he met the window display of a very fancy jewellery store.

They did not dare enter the high priced shop, but Samara had squished her forehead to the glass and was looking in on a pair of earrings with earnest. "Those would totally match my engagement ring." She muttered to herself.

Vaughn was not interested in the woman's vanities. He could, however, appreciate that the diamond ring on her finger was one of complete beauty. A large princess cut diamond was set in the middle of a white gold band, with two smaller sapphires set on either side of the diamond, framing its magnificence. If Vaughn was ever to marry, he was sure that he'd go to Colin in deciding on what to get. He had an eye for it.

"Moving on…"

They pottered along for another hour or so, until Samara finally picked out a dress with a nice big price tag. Vaughn mentioned that even though she was paying for it, it didn't mean she was exempt from paying her side of the rent, and she giggled like a child. He knew that she wasn't going to pay rent anyway.

When she was finally done for the day, Vaughn was glad to be driving back to the apartment on clear roads. Rush hour was over now, and it would be smooth sailing the rest of the way home. Excluding the sound of Samara complimenting the dress's fine material and colour.

At home, Vaughn went right to his room and slumped onto his bed. Samara chatted about getting ready, and how she was going to make a surprise visit to her fiancé later than evening. Vaughn drifted in and out of consciousness, though he had yet to rid his thoughts of last night's events.

He had wanted it. And he was sure that Chelsea had wanted it to. Vaughn would give it that much. But Chelsea turned, which meant that she knew it wasn't right, which Vaughn agreed with as well. But the issue wasn't whether they wanted it or not, it was _why _they did. Why had Vaughn experienced emotions that he hadn't felt in years? He was sure he had hidden them away with the rest of his past. But he was wrong.

"I can hear you thinking from across the room. Lighten up!" Samara called down the hall way, the echo telling him that she was in the bathroom.

Samara was smart. Annoying, and often a little on the crazy side, but despite how stupid she tried to be, she was deadly smart. She had mentioned her brief career in law, but the emotions she displayed when that came into the conversation told Vaughn it was something she preferred to keep secret. Vaughn was not one to pry. He had his own secrets to keep.

Like his odd relationship with Chelsea, for example.

The sound of three soft thuds against the door rang through the whole apartment. "Samara, pull your weight and answer it!"

"You seem to forget I don't weigh much."

She giggled softly and walked passed Vaughn's room to the front door. He managed to catch a glimpse of her when she passed through, she was dressed in a short silk robe, and her hair was pinned up so she could do her makeup. When it came down to it, she knew how to make herself look beautiful, and not in the sultry way. He heard the sound of the mechanism click and clack as she turned the doorknob, as well as her pretty voice greet whoever was at the door.

"I- O-oh… I think I must have gotten the wrong apartment." A soft voice came, sounding uncertain. The sound of crinkled paper being flattened clumsily could be heard. "I was… looking for someone named Vaughn. But I think… I must have the wrong apartment."

When Vaughn heard his name be called he shot up from his bed just a little too fast and sent his head swimming. It was then he recognised the voice of who was at the door. He walked out, turned to the side and was greeted by the surprised look of someone he least expected to be there.

"Chelsea?"

**A/N: A special edition for the fic's decagonal chapter. Yes, decagonal is a word. I know I just blew your mind with my amazing vocabulary, despite using the word in the wrong context. **

**Hehehe. Poor Vaughn, tortured by Samara. **

**As for her, I'd like to place my claims on her. She is my original character, I own her and her entire being. My friend, unfortunately, owns Colin so I only made brief mention of him. It's such a shame that they never get married in the end… **

**Well, you'll see a little more of the not so lovely Samara next chapter. Not as much though, since this is a harvest moon fic. I wonder what Chelsea will think though? Haha~**


	11. A New Friend

I was under a chocolate induced hypnotism. Not from eating it, not from thinking about it, not from smelling it. Nope, I was hypnotised by the pair of chocolate coloured eyes that sparkled at me from the couch adjacent to where I was sitting. They belonged on the face of an incredibly beautiful woman, with tanned skin and dark hair, and I couldn't help feeling a little insecure in her presence. The way she smiled at me only made me even more uncomfortable, after the surprising predicament I found myself in.

Only a few minutes earlier I had walked in on something I had never expected to see. I was silently chiding myself for taking Denny's advice on the matter, and sending myself into unknown territory.

Earlier today, I had been wallowing in my own confusion. I wasn't planning on talking to anybody, but it was my lovely little sister who suggested I ring up my friend. Either she planned on grabbing the other phone and listening in on the conversation, or she genuinely hated seeing me in the damp mood I was in. So, I called Denny, and I told him absolutely everything on my mind. Going back to school, being in the city, the party, Vaughn…

"Woah, girl…" He said, "You've only been there three days and it's like you've been bombed. That's why you should have never left."

"I know! This place is gonna kill me!"

"But wait, you said that you nearly kissed Vaughn. I'm confused, how'd you see Vaughn again?"

I had a mental image of him scratching his head, and I giggled softly at the thought. "We were coincidentally at the same party."

"I don't believe in coincidences. Must be fate. Bringing you together and…stuff." Denny's theory had not impressed me. Of course, he was only teasing just to get a reaction out of me. But there was no such thing as fate, especially when it involved me and Vaughn. Ew.

"Ha. No, I think the drinks were drugged. Makes sense?"

"Not really. If they were, then you would have woken up in Vaughn's _bed._" There was a silence on the other end of the phone for a couple of seconds. "Unless there is something you're not telling me. Chelsea?"

"NO! I didn't sleep with Vaughn! I didn't even kiss him! Dirty minded freak." I had said, shocked. "What's up with guys and always suggesting that?"

"Dunno. It's mentally imprinted onto our brains."

"Anyway, what am I meant to do?"

"Um… Well, you don't like him do you?" He asked.

"No, not anything more than a friend." I admitted, omitting anything on the 'I think he's really hot' agenda. Denny didn't need to know that.

"Well then it's simple!" Denny concluded, quite quickly. "You need to go right over there and tell him that you're not interested. I don't know what's going on in his head, but if he's got anything for you, you should end it now. I reckon he'd have a fragile heart."

"You're right…" I had sighed. "One problem though. Where's he live?"

"No clue."

It was, in total, another two hours before I managed to squeeze Vaughn's address out of Julia, while thinking up of an adequate lie of why I needed it. I said something about an urgent delivery. Though, I don't have the slightest clue on how I was going to back that up when I got no such delivery. Even so, she gave me the address of Vaughn's employer's office. It took even more scrounging around before I found his real address, and when I finally did, I was almost too tired to bother.

Adele had shoved me out of the door, and my parents thought it would be good for me to get to see someone I knew well enough. They probably thought I was homesick, not racked with indecision.

And now I was sitting opposite of a complete stranger, waiting for Vaughn to surface from wherever he had disappeared to. His head had popped around the corner for a second before he dashed off again, and then this woman ushered me into the little living room at the end of the corridor.

"So…" She started, tapping her nose with a sly look. "You must be the girl."

I tilted my head to the side in confusion, and she giggled.

"I've been trying to get him to spill for the past month! I know there had to be a girl, who else sits and sulks all day, until he goes to work?"

She was from England, I picked up on that. I think she was Italian, she looked to be, but I couldn't be sure about that either.

"Actually…I think he's always like that." I said.

She shrugged, leaning back into the craggy leather of the lounge she was seated on. She crossed her slender legs and smiled at me. The look in her dark eyes made me wonder. She hadn't even told me her name, and I hadn't a clue how she was related to Vaughn. Regardless of what her relation to Vaughn was, I had a feeling I had walked in on something I shouldn't have.

She was all dolled up, and she was swathed in black satin. I thought she was getting ready to go out, but I wasn't so sure now. Vaughn's eyes were wide with surprise when I was at the door, after all. I don't think I was meant to see anything.

Maybe she was Vaughn's lover. It'd make sense, she was beautiful. Her dark features would have complimented Vaughn's silver hair and pale skin, not to mention he was just as handsome as she was pretty.

Wait…why did I care?

"You're really pretty." The woman said, leaning towards me. Her red lips twitched into a little smirk, and I could almost see ideas running across the glassy exterior of her seductive eyes. "You'd definitely be my type. Say,… do you swing either way?"

I stared at her. Had she just tried to make a pass at me? Perhaps her pretty face made a lack of words irrelevant, but I was definitely not one to swing that way, even if I was a bit of a tomboy. She sighed and sat back, knowing that she must have startled me.

"You know, I was starting to think that Vaughn might have been gay." She said, causing me to raise a brow. "Don't you think it makes sense? I mean, he does a bloody good job of concealing any attraction towards women in general. You have no idea how hard I've been trying to get him to sleep with m-"

"Samara!" Vaughn's towering form cast a long shadow against the floor, highlighted by the orange glow of the setting sun.

Oh, so that's her name. Interesting.

She tittered softly to herself and sprung up onto her feet, scurrying off like a child who had just set up a mastermind of a prank. Vaughn had not moved from his position, and glared at the door she closed with her exit.

He remembered I was in the room, and muttered something inaudible. He replaced Samara where he sat, but instead of engaging me with an intoxicating gaze, he was content with staring out the window.

"She's pretty…" I admitted, breaking the silence. He glanced at me.

"Yes, she is." He said. "But that doesn't mean she isn't damned annoying. Needs to but out of other's business."

I laughed softly, and nodded in agreement. She did seem a little excitable. But nonetheless I felt like an idiot. What would it be like for me if I was sitting in Vaughn's apartment, talking about his partner without even knowing? It would be the weirdest thing to tell Vaughn what I had planned to tell him, when he was already taken.

"So…why are you here?" Sharp and to the point, just the way it was meant to be. Funny thing was, he didn't even ask how I found his address. He probably knew, anyway.

"I want to talk. About last night."

"Ah." He raised his head in acknowledge, and I waited for him to continue. When he didn't, I realised he was stalling. Vaughn wasn't ready for this, but I knew we had to get it out of the way now.

"I just want to clear one thing up before we do anything." I said softly, and caught a glimpse of those mystifying eyes of his. I realised something was out of place. His hat was missing.

I would have thought him to be the kind of guy to wear a hat everywhere, even if he was at home. I wondered if Samara had badgered him enough to make him comply into taking it off when he was in the house. It made sense to me.

"Well?" He urged, shifting slightly. The leather squeaked under pressure.

"I just wanted you to know… That I'm not interested. In a relationship, I mean." I frowned, and rebutted quickly with "A romantic relationship. I want a friendship. Because I like you."

He stared at me, and it reminded me of when we first met. Only, the look he gave me was not sharp and deadly, like the first time. It was…softer, almost intrigued.

"Fine."

"I like you, but as a friend. I mean, I think you're really good looking and everything and sometimes I find myself staring but I don't really see myself having any sort of romantic relationship with –"

"Chelsea?"

"Yes?"

"You're rambling." He smirked and shook his head. I _had _been rambling.

He stood up and went to the window, leaving me to sit there awkwardly. I looked around the room, unsure if I was meant to wait for him to say something or just take it as a 'goodbye then' and leave. I didn't have to think long, because the door to the living room burst open and Samara jumped into the room.

Only slightly different from before, the robe was replaced with a red dress. It fell across her curved figure, and was tapered around the bottom. One side was longer than the other, and her right leg was in fine view. The top was low cut, and tied around her neck. Vaughn turned for a second, before quickly going back to stare back out the window.

Was it the red glow of the sun, or was Vaughn blushing?

I smiled at Samara and stood up. She swayed from one side to the other, like an excited little child. "You look amazing Samara."

"Really, you think so?" She grinned at me, strutting over and hugging me. If she wasn't in heels, she would have been at least an inch shorter than me. "I hope Colin likes it! But I never know with him. And Vaughn isn't any help."

Still locked in her arms,I saw her cast a sharp glare over towards Vaughn, who had not turned. She stuck her tongue out at him. Finally, she took a step back and released me. Looking me up and down, her plump lips pursed as she considered something.

"You'd be my size, I think. I can't be sure… You're all hidden behind those bags." She reached out and pulled at my clothes. I took a step back, and shook my head.

"Um, that's nice and all, but what are you on about?" Samara was acting strangely. She was probably like that all the time, but her probing nature was getting on my nerves.

She clapped her hands and grinned at me. "I'm taking my fiancé out to dinner tonight! I want you to come because you're my new friend!" She glanced over at Vaughn, and her gaze turned sour once more. "Oh, and if you really want, you can bring sooky-lala over there to. He'd only go out with his girlfriend, I think."

This girl was full of surprises, I'd give her that. But before I could even get a word in, Vaughn was walking up to Samara, rigid. "I don't think that's a good idea. She's got to get home now."

Samara clicked her tongue at him, unfazed by his display of a gruff exterior. "Oh, I don't think she'd mind all that much, would you girlie?"

I didn't say anything, because neither of them was even looking at me. If I did say anything, it wouldn't have been heard. Besides, my new 'friend' didn't even know my name.

The two glared at each other in a cold silence. Though they might have looked good together, I could see that their personalities clashed. I still didn't have the facts about the dynamics that fell between them, but I don't think it was love or romance that brought them to live under the same roof.

Samara was the first to back down, but only to grab onto my wrist and pull me from the room. "Oh, we're gonna make you look so pretty tonight! I love your hair, and your eyes are so gorgeous. You would totally suit my blue cocktail dress…" She squeaked. Though no words had been said between her and Vaughn, there was probably some sort of psychic conversation going on between them. And Samara had won.

Stuffed inside Samara's room, which was rather dark and sultry, I decided to take a stab at explaining my situation to her. "Me and Vaughn aren't dating, you know. I don't even like him."

She stopped for a second, considering my words, then shrugged. "You don't need to lie to me, sweetie. I know it must be hard though. If I was dating that lazy slug I'd try to hide it too."

I laughed. She just called Vaughn a slug.

But all jokes aside, I wasn't with Vaughn in any way, shape or form. But no matter how many times I tried to point this out to her, she waved her hands at me and told me that it was alright to be with him. Said something about good looks make up for personality too, but by the time she started giving out reasons I myself had given up.

Her wardrobe must have been bigger than it appeared. Samara would duck in, something shiny would fly across the room and land onto her bed, and she would repeat the process. While she was doing so, Vaughn knocked on the door and complained.

"No! We're going out whether you like it or not. You have to treat your girlfriend once in a while you know?"

"My name's Chelsea."

"Oh, what a pretty name. Suits you."

She finally emerged, a tiny bit flustered. Her once tame hair was ruffled up a bit, and to me it looked like something she had a daily battle with.

"Well, you're definitely not as…" She signalled to her chest and to her hips, and then pointed over at me. I felt a little self conscious. "As me, anyway. So, I found some dresses that would look nice on you, seeing as you're missing some womanly assets."

Womanly assets, huh? Maybe I did have them, I just didn't feel like showing them off to the world? My own little retort was never voiced as Samara left the room to let me change. I caught a glimpse of an irritated looking cowboy, and before the door shut I heard Samara complain about his outfit and something else about 'pleasing the girlfriend' again.

The door shut, and I made my way across the room to her bed. I noticed that all the dresses she had laid out were either red or black, excluding one. I glanced at her wardrobe. They were probably all red or black. But that didn't really matter, because I was astounded that I had found myself in the situation I was in. It was bad enough that I had to come face to face with the weirdo freak lady, but now I was going out to dinner completely unprepared for it all.

I picked out the blue one, assuming that it would fit me well enough. While I was stripping down and complying with Samara's wishes of looking pretty, I heard the sound of someone knocking. But it wasn't on my door, it was on the front door. Perhaps it was Samara's 'fiancé'. I bet he was some dark, handsome model or something.

The dress hung loose in some areas, but overall I was glad with the outcome. It certainly wasn't as promiscuous as what Samara had chosen to wear, in fact it was rather stately. The neck line was just high enough to be considered comfortable by my standards, and the dress ended at my knees. However, my back was laid bare and I felt myself shiver despite the warm weather. The only problem was that I had no shoes. Looking down, I laughed at myself. A beautiful navy dresses, complimented by a dashing pair of age old chucks, not to mention I was still wearing my bandana. Yes, I was definitely going to win the best dressed award for this one, wasn't I?

The door creaked when I opened it, and I peered around the corners to check that the coast was clear. I just needed to go to the bathroom and make sure I didn't look too atrocious. I was stopped in my tracks as I heard the bubbly voice that belonged to Samara, and a masculine one that didn't belong to Vaughn. It was quiet, polite and rather timid. It didn't sound like what I expected. I didn't ponder on it too long, because I went back on my mission or creeping down the corner to the bathroom.

Too bad I didn't know where the bathroom was. My cluelessness and curiosity was my downfall. And today was no exception. The first door I tried was a closet, as was the next. Hoping I'd get third time lucky, I certainly hit the jackpot in one aspect. Vaughn's room.

It wasn't like I saw anything. Well, I saw Vaughn buttoning up one of his black work shirts, but I guess even a glimpse of his well toned body was enough to make me flush in embarrassment. I met his sharp glare and quickly shut the door without even speaking a word.

Samara had heard me shut the door this time, and she called out to me from the living room. I stared at Vaughn's door for a moment, wondering whether my cheeks were as red as they felt. Samara called again, and I sulked towards the sound of her voice.

She was hanging off the shoulders of a tall man. He, himself was remarkably thin, with black hair that came down to his shoulders. His face was pale and he looked exhausted. He was not what I had expected at all, but the look Samara had in her eyes told me all I needed to know. She well and truly loved him.

"Chelsea! This is Colin, my wonderful hubby-to-be!" She exclaimed, her feet leaving the ground and the man's hands swung around to hold onto her. He glanced over at me, and the ghost of a smile crossed his face alongside a rosy tint to his hollow cheeks. If he wasn't such a shy person, I think he might have been quite good looking. A good night's sleep would have helped, too.

Heavy footsteps fell behind me, and everyone turned to look at Vaughn. I smiled to myself as I heard Samara call out "No cowboy hat, mister!"

Truth was, I liked Vaughn just the way he was.

**A/N: Just letting you all know not to expect an update for another week. I have a whole week of exams, and then my grandparents are staying over and everything. But then it's school holidays! Yaaay! Which means I have more time to write!**

**Anywho, hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	12. Agreement

Dinner was… odd. It seemed like my new 'friend' Samara had multiple connections, despite being a foreigner. She knew the waiter, and the head chef, and the guy who owned the place, and I think she knew the cab driver too, but maybe that was just her being her. My earlier suspicions were proven correct, she was Italian. She spoke her native tongue to all those in the restaurant, and I caught a hint of likeness in their facial features. They were probably all related.

Her fiancé, Colin, had spoken little. Even now, seated at the table with the rest of us, he kept himself in polite exclusion. His gaze hardly wavered from the roof, or from Samara. And when she spoke to her assumed family I caught a look of admiration in his eyes, alongside something I thought resembled envy. I was probably just mistaken though. What where the chances of a fiancé being envious on their own partner? It didn't make sense.

And of course there was Vaughn. Though he was silent, he did manage to involve himself a smidgen more than his male counterpart across the table. Every time I took a look at him, he was constantly fidgeting. Pulling at the table cloth, running his hands along the creases of his jeans, scratching at the back of his head. To me, it looked like he was somewhat uncomfortable. Without the hat, the vest and the spotless white bandanna around his neck, he looked bare. And I bet he felt naked without it.

Samara leaned in, her hands clasped together. She had forced both Vaughn and me to sit together, but it was more for the sake of her being able to sit by her partner. That did not mean that she was distracted enough to forget her probing interview.

"Do you guys have any cute nicknames for each other?" She said, her sultry voice ending on a trilling note. She was like a little kid in a candy store.

I thought about it, tapping my index finger against my chin. On one hand, I could insist that we weren't together. But that hadn't been working, so why not just give her the satisfaction and humour her a little? "I call him Pokey."

Her big brown eyes grew, and she tilted her head to the side. "Oh? Is that like… some secret thing that I don't know about? Behind the name…I mean."

I laughed, Vaughn looked like a startled horse with the way he shook his head. "No, he's just got a very good poker face when we play together."

"Okay! So what do you call her, Vaughn?"

He did not respond, his lilac eyes hidden behind his pale eyelashes. Samara must have kicked him under the table of something, because he jerked up to attention and looked between his three companions before mumbling something along the lines of "Idiot girl…"

Our food came. Typical pub food: steak diane, schnitzels, that sort of thing. The food that is underrated and yet is always a hearty meal to dine on. I thought it funny that Samara, despite how petite she was, was the one to eat the most, and Colin was the one who ate the least. I imagined they probably finished each other's food all the time, or Samara did anyway. When the food was there people spoke little.

I also realised that Samara consumed more alcohol than most women could handle. She held herself very well though, so she was probably a regular drinker.

Like any pub style restaurant, popular music had been playing the whole night. I hadn't really been paying all that much attention to it, but Samara obviously had. When the meals had been inhaled by the diners, and everything had been cleaned and paid for, I finally took some notice to it. But only because Samara squeaked in recognition to the slow ballad that was now playing. She turned to Colin, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt as she whispered something in his ear. He grimaced, and shook his head to her. In return, she pouted her pretty lips before turning to Vaughn.

"Will you dance with me?" She asked, and he shook his head as well. "Come on! If you do I'll promise to pay the rent on time! Please, please, please, please!"

He groaned, and before he had a chance to properly respond Samara caught his hand and was dragging him away. It must have been awkward, because nobody else was dancing, and apart from a little gap separating the stage from the dining area there was no room to move. It didn't stop her though.

I took the opportunity to say something to Colin. Apart from swapping greetings, we hadn't spoken a word to each other. I pulled my chair over to him, watching his pale features scan the place in self inflicted ignorance.

"Where did you two meet?" I asked, nudging his shoulder to get his attention. He glanced at me and smiled slightly, shy.

"I was… It was raining, and I went into a bar to get out of the rain. She ran the place…" He said softly, his mysterious dark eyes falling to the table. "She was… set on getting me to sleep with her that day. We'd only just met."

I smiled slightly, nodding my head. It sounded like her. So she ran a bar, or did. That would explain her love for alcohol. "She's really quite beautiful. And she's got a great personality. You're lucky."

Unexpectedly, he frowned. "That's the problem. She's could have any man she wanted. And she's never stuck to just one. I don't think I can keep her." He sighed, lines of weary creasing his brow. "I shouldn't be telling you this."

"No, it's fine." I said, "You probably don't get much time to talk about it with others."

His gentle, timid smile made its presence once more. When he smiled and made eye contact, he was a strikingly handsome man. It was just hidden away with a look of constant exhaustion.

"Vaughn's a good man, even if he is rough around the edges. Keep him as long as you can." Colin said, changing the subject.

I glanced over to Samara and Vaughn. He was graciously spinning her and playing to her every whim just to keep her happy, but behind that harsh, bored stare I could see a hint of a smile that told me he was enjoying himself. It just wasn't a big enough smile for me.

"Oh, we aren't dating. Samara just thinks we are. "

Colin looked a little surprised by this, and took the opportunity to spare a glance in their direction as well. "Really? I could have sworn he… Never mind."

I didn't urge him to continue. Not because I didn't want to, because I most certainly did. I just didn't have the time, because Samara darted across the room towards us both and yanked us out of our comfortable seats. I laughed, Colin whimpered in dismay.

Samara did not waste time switching partners. In a matter of moments she had left Vaughn in the cold and had her arms wrapped around Colin's neck, staring up at him with a dreamy look in her chocolate eyes. I walked up to Vaughn and smiled at him. He glanced down at me feet with a funny look before returning his gaze to my face.

"Nice shoes."

I looked down and wiggled my feet. Wrapped in canvas and covered with a thick rubber tip, it certainly wasn't the best way to accent such a beautiful dress. I smirked. "Lovely, aren't they?"

Vaughn stepped forward and took hold of my hand, placing his other just above my hip. I proceeded to pull my hand up to his shoulder. Samara had given us the okay by nodding her head in approval, and I can quite easily say that the only reason Vaughn made the first move was because he was being given the death glare by that very same person. The few others that filled the pub did either two things: the watched and laughed at the foolishness of the four awkward dancers or they got up and joined us to start a whole new movement. It was a good feeling.

"I saw you smiling before. And I thought you hated Samara." I said to him, as casually as I could.

"I wasn't and I do." He stated coolly, his purple hues looking down at me. "Aren't I allowed to have fun?"

I nodded my head. "Of course you are. I just want to see you smile. And I mean, really smile." He was about to say something, but I continued and cut him off. "And no, I'm not letting go of this until you do. Smile, that is."

He rolled his eyes at me, and pulled me out for a twirl. I started to wonder where he had learnt to dance, or waltz. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

I shook my head, and he chuckled to himself.

We all enjoyed the night. It didn't matter whether we were friends, lovers, or somewhere in between, because a dance can take you anywhere you want to go in life. You just have to play the right cards and have fun while you're at it. But like everything, time never stops for anyone.

Samara hugged me and I hugged her back. "You have to come and visit me whenever you're in the city, alright? You're my new friend, and I want to see you every opportunity I get!" She said to me, squeezing me softly.

I nodded my head and held onto her just as tight. "Alright, I will. And you can come and visit me on the islands whenever you want, okay?"

Samara let go and smiled at me, nodding vigorously. Her pretty eyes were glassy, and she looked to be on the brink of tears. I gasped, and I suddenly felt guilty for making her cry. She giggled and wiped her eyes with her arm, telling me silently it was fine.

During the whole thing, Vaughn and Colin had been talking to each other some distance away. Colin held a stance that told me he was busy explaining something to him, and Vaughn reciprocated with an irked look on his face. They glanced towards the two of us. Vaughn stared blankly, and Colin smiled at the two of us. And then they turned back to their conversation and began to discuss whatever it was once more.

"What do you think they're talking about?" I asked Samara, who shrugged.

"Boy stuff." Was her only response, before she turned back to me and gathered me up into another hug. Finally, the two men broke away and came towards us.

Colin hailed a cab, and when one stopped I gave him a quick hug too. He seemed a little startled by it, and blushed softly. "Take good care of Samara, won't you?" He laughed and nodded his head.

I waved to the taxi as it disappeared into the stream of traffic. They were in love. So very much in love I didn't see how anything could tear them apart, other than their own fears. I hoped that it would all work out for them.

I stood silently on the curb, feeling the presence of Vaughn by my side. I didn't have any money for a cab, and he didn't seem willing to part with his hard earned cash for such trivial matters. So he started to walk, and I took it as the cue to walk in the other direction, which was my house. I was stopped however, because Vaughn called out to me. "Don't you want your clothes back?"

I looked down at myself and sighed. Stupid Samara getting me changed. Why did I need to get changed if we were going to a pub anyway? I turned and ran to catch up with him. He snorted in amusement. "Thought so."

"You looked… very beautiful tonight. By the way." He coughed out when we had walked some distance. He was just being polite, complimenting his 'date'. But… I don't think he was used to doing it, and his cheeks went rosy under the city lights.

And them I noticed something. Just as we turned the corner, I realised that my hand was gripping onto something. My eyes darted down, homing into the image of my small fingers intertwined with Vaughn's large, strong hand. When did that happen? Did I do that? Did I unknowingly- Wait, did Vaughn do it? I looked up to him, and he seemed indifferent about it all. I blushed.

I felt awkward now. Awkward because I was holding hands with the man I was constantly testing, and awkward because I found myself liking it. It sent my heart racing and I felt butterflies in my tummy, all because I was in the act of performing a sign of affection to a guy that I swore I held no romantic intent towards.

I didn't right? I didn't have an emotional attachment to him, right? He was just a friend…right?

Before I even knew it my hand felt empty again, and I noticed Vaughn climbing the steps to his apartment block. I followed behind like an obedient little puppy. And then I found myself sitting on the very same couch I had been sitting on a few hours before.

"Would you like a cup of coffee before you go?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe. I nodded meekly, wringing my hands.

He disappeared, and I was left alone to listen to the distant bubbling of his kettle. I sighed, sinking back into the couch. What was I doing? This felt weird. Last time I went home with a guy I was eighteen, and we kissed that night and started out on the path of a long term relationship. I didn't see that happening with me and Vaughn though, so why was I so worried?

I took a deep breath and stood, walking into the kitchen. I found an odd sight. Vaughn had his head pressed to one of those overhanging cupboards, his face contorted into a grimace. He looked like he was in pain. I stayed in silence until I heard the gentle click of the electric kettle turning off, and Vaughn pulled himself up to grab to mugs from the very some cupboard he had been pressed against. He looked over at me and frowned.

"Thank you… for tonight." I said, walking up to him. "I had fun. And it's nice to know I have a friend in you." He nodded once in response.

And then I walked up to him and gave him a hug. He stumbled back in surprise, but I held on. When he realised I wasn't letting go, he brought his arms around me and awkwardly pat me on the back. I smiled into his shirt and held on that little bit tighter.

"I get your point. Can you, let go now?" He said, his voice husky. I released him from my grip and let him continue to make the coffee he promised.

When he handed me a mug brimming with the dark liquid, I walked out and sat back down where he had first left me. He came down to sit beside me and I smiled at him like a timid little school girl.

"You know, most guys smile when a girl hugs them. Will you?" I asked, setting my cup down on the coffee table. He shook his head. "Worth a try then."

Silence fell, and I sighed. Vaughn was never much of a talker, but this was just weird. Something was going through his head, and I'm sure Colin was the one to put it in there. He ran a hand through his silver hair and peered over at me. "Chelsea…"

I decided that keeping it casual would be the best way to avoid a disaster. Because with Vaughn you know there's a disaster waiting for you behind every corner. "Yup?"

His eyes looked over at me and considered something. Then, finally, he shrugged and gave me a sort of smirk. "Nothin'. I'm happy we're friends."

Well if that isn't something to make your heart sing, I don't know what is. When I first met him I never expected to be remotely close to him, but I guess a game of poker and a few following events can change all that.

And so I grinned at him and grabbed my coffee mug. I twisted around to face him, crossing my legs on the couch and began to talk. I told him about farming, I told him about my family, I told him about my childhood. All the while he kept a queer look on his face that told me that he wasn't at all used to the way friends talk. Or rather, when one friend talks and the other listened patiently.

"And so, my dad comes to me and tells me I've got the opportunity of a lifetime. And I don't know what to do." I ended my rambling, and Vaughn had finished his second cup of coffee. I tilted my head forward slightly, urging him to respond in some way. He opened his mouth in recognition.

"Oh. Um…" He started, thinking. "You never told me that you wanted to be a vet."

"Well, we weren't really official friends until tonight." I stated with a pompous look.

He sighed, scratching his head. "I think it's your choice. You wanted to go into vet science, right?"

I nodded.

"But then you love farming, and you get to work with animals all the time. It's really up to you."

I fell back into the couch and moaned in pain. The padding in the armrest had deflated more than it first appeared, and the back of my head made contact with the timber frame. He had a cynical sense of humour, because my pain caused him to laugh.

"I hate you, Pokey." I muttered, shutting my eyes.

"Are you like that to all your…friends?"

"Yup."

I think it was three cups of coffee later, a beeping alarm clock in a distant room and a hurried change of clothes that got me up off the coach and out of the apartment. The goodbye was odd, because I felt like hugging him but I knew he wouldn't like the contact. We settled with a hearty handshake.

"I'll see you next week, on the island! We'll hang out and stuff… like friends."

**XXXXXX**

Colin pulled Vaughn to the side as Samara gave tearful farewells to the bemused Chelsea. Vaughn was curious as to what Colin wanted to say. Usually, when they spoke it was of matters that could be said aloud with anyone in their presence, so this had to important in some way.

"What is it?" Vaughn asked, slightly irritated. He didn't like being alone with one person, because then you had to get involved. By yourself or with a group you have the choice to whether you get involved or not.

Colin glanced around them, tucking his hands into his dark suit pants. "What's going on with you and Chelsea?" He asked the question that was last on Vaughn's list of possible conversation material.

"Nothin'. Why?"

Colin's soft gaze turned hard for a second, and he sighed. "Don't lie to me, Vaughn. I've known you well enough to know when there is something on your mind. I read your emotions like they're my own. Now tell me, or else I'll have Samara on your case."

Together the two glanced over towards the girls. Chelsea was watching them back, and she smiled at them. Colin smiled back at her, but Vaughn just stared. He didn't reply to Colin's question. He hardly ever did. If Colin really wanted to know the answer, he'd understand, because they were both, theoretically, on the same boat.

They turned their attention back towards the other, and Colin finally said, "There's no point sitting around and waiting for the opportunity to pass by. Because you will regret it. And even if you don't understand what you're getting yourself into, when you've made the choice with half the facts, the other facts don't matter." He began to walk back towards the two girls, and when they were still out of earshot he concluded "I should know. Taking a chance was the best decision I made in my life."

Chelsea hugged him goodbye quickly, and Vaughn nodded his head to him due to the absence of a hat to tip. Through the back window of the taxi the two had gotten into, Vaughn saw Samara wrap her arms around Colin's shoulders, brushing her nose against his. Colin's eyes closed in weariness, and Samara kissed him for the first time that night.

**A/N: And that concludes the Samara trilogy. She may make a little short appearance in a few later chapters, depending if you guys would like to see more of her (so, tell me if you do!). But otherwise, her role in the story is over.**

**And, if you'd like to know, I rewrote this chapter 3 times. Why? Because in the first 2 they ended up kissing at the end of it and it just didn't work. So you have to suck up the unromanticness for the next 87 chapters (cus you all love the Da Vinci Code and its paragraph long chapters)**

**You know what's funny? Actually, it's not all that funny… Anyway! I was just on the verge of proposing to Vaughn in the game, and then when I was saving the game I pressed the power button before it finished by accident (I'm usually very good at guessing when it finishes) and I corrupted my data and now I have to start all over again. I thought I would have been a little bit more disappointed, but I'm not. There's a bunch of things I coulda done better, so yeah. Second chance!**


	13. Unexpected Revelations

A trip to the city was a big deal for anyone who didn't live there, whether you were the one making the trip or not. At least, that was the impression I got by the excited faces that met me when I finally got granted my wish to go home. I had an extra suitcase with me, because I had busily spent my last days shopping for the island's supplies. Julia had caught word of a new perfume brand she had to try out, and Denny was in need of some new fishing equipment, and I was happy to help them all out. I have to say that shopping for Pierre was probably the best time I had. I never knew that his name could provide so many great discounts in all the foodie districts.

All in all, I was glad to be back with my friends, and in a real community. I might have gotten away with a few more weeks of city life, but I was glad it was all well and truly over for the time being. Denny was pretty chuffed to see me back too, and I finally got to give back his purple bandana in exchange for my red one, only I noticed that it now smelt like fish. Ah, it felt good to see my boys again.

It was early evening the day I got back when they decided to steal me away from my catch up work and finally got me to settle down and pass out the goodies. Each and every one of their face's lit up when they saw what I had brought back for them, and mine lit up when I stashed their money into my back pocket in exchange. Finally, with all the shifty dealing over and done with, we sat together in my little house to just hang out. One thing I noticed was that they were very interested in what I had to say about Samara, and I knew for certain that Vaughn was going to be glaring me down with the crowd of eager young men he'd have to deal with when he got back to the islands. Lucky thing for him he was only there two days a week.

"Do you have a picture of her?" Denny said casually, and I quickly swiped him across the shoulder.

"The only pictures of women you need to see are ones of Lanna… and me, but that's because I'm your best friend and you love me more than you'd like to let on."

"I'd like to see her too." Mark said, flipping his blonde hair out of his eyes. He caught my protective glare in his direction and laughed. "Not that I'm interested."

"You better not be… She's engaged." I think every man in the room sighed in disappointment. I wish I could have gotten that reaction when I was topic of discussion. Everyone just had a thing for the dark and sultry style. I should have gotten some tips from her when I was in the city.

Tiny little whining came from a box that sat beside my bed, and all heads turned to the noise. I quickly scrambled to my feet, scooping up Crumpet into my arms. Yes, I finally decided on a name for my puppy, and I think it really suited her. Holding her in one arm, I went to the fridge and searched through the miscellaneous items for the carton of puppy milk formula Mirabelle ordered in especially for the new member of the family. It was hidden in the back, and I managed to clatter and tip everything over when I pulled it out. I never thought puppies would be so dependant, but I guess when they're only a few weeks old they usually are pretty dependant on their parents.

"Mark, grab a bowl for me, would you?" I called as I set Crumpet down on the counter, smiling as I watched her soft little paws slip on the shiny surface.

He came over with a small bowl and held it out to me. "I've gotten attached to her too you know. I've been living here for the past week." I wondered if he had spent a decent amount of time snooping through my belongings. I know I would have.

I pinched open the corner of the carton and poured a measured amount in the small dish, before setting both Crumpet and the dish on the ground. "Well, you're welcome to come on over and visit her any time you like. Hell, while you're at it you can help me with all my chores too."

The smile on his face told me that he took the opportunity to work on the farm more like a prize than a punishment. Obviously, he had enjoyed his week and a bit on the farm more than I would have first thought.

With Crumpet happily lapping up the milk substitute, and me keeping a careful eye on the ball of wrinkles, the two of us came to sit back down with the rest of the group. Denny nudged me softly with his elbow, a devious twinkle in his dark eyes. "So, on a scale of one to ten, how successful would you rate your week of romancing our very own cowboy?"

I shoved him back, but not quite as lightly as he would have first presumed. I managed to topple him over with the force of my palm. "I wasn't romancing anyone. I was simply befriending. There's a difference you know?"

Mark sat up straight, "You mentioned Colin was pretty cute. How about, we break them up, you can take Colin and I can have Samara?"

I gave him a querying look. "I thought you said you weren't interested?"

"I'm not." He smiled, and his cheeks began to glow. "But if the opportunity arose… I wouldn't be backing down."

It seemed that friendly boy Mark had a crush on a woman that he had never met, let alone seen. It was kind of endearing from my point of view as a side hand, as well as a tad bit creepy. So I smiled and told him he could ask Vaughn all about it when he got to the island in a couple of days. Yup, Vaughn was really gonna hate me now.

"Elliot." I started, and the spectacled ginger turned his attention towards me. "Do you reckon you can grab some supplies next time you go and visit Julia? You know, the usual… ketchup, bacon, that sort of thing. Preferably cooked into ready made meals."

At first he looked a little shocked at my demand. You would think that when asking a favor involving supplies, it would also involve going to Chen's store. But then it became clear to Elliot that even a trip to the city, full of poverty stricken areas and buildings fit for kings, nothing could tear me away from my true nature. A nature that had me stealing other people's food stuffs.

"She'll think it weird if I just prance right in and steal her food. I'm not as fast or as cunning as you are." He sighed, and I heard him mumble "Natalie is always on my case about it too."

"You don't need to be fast and cunning to steal food. You just need to have a good excuse in mind when you're questioned." I reassured, patting him on the back. But it was only because, apart from the stuff that I tipped over, I had very little supplies for breakfast tomorrow morning. And it was getting late, and Chen was probably closed, and the diner was much too far.

He rolled his eyes at me, and I took that as a 'go do it yourself' in a polite way. I would, but not tonight.

We spent the rest of the night talking and having fun, like friends are meant to. When Crumpet was tucked into her basket and the owls outside started to hoot, I knew that it was time to say goodnight to them all.

Each filed out, one after the other. Denny even gave me a hug and said he was glad to have me back again when he left. When I watched them all walk down to the path into town, I turned around to find Mark was still inside, waiting patiently.

"Aren't you going back to the hotel? They'll close up and you'll be stuck outside if you don't hurry."

He took a step forward, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I won't be a minute, I just need to ask you something."

I leaned against the front door and smiled at him, waiting for him to continue with whatever he needed to ask.

He shuffled over to me awkwardly, mulling over something in his head. "I was just wondering…" He paused, thinking again. "If you'd like to go out with me, tomorrow night. Nothing fancy, just dinner at the Diner."

Well. I hadn't been expecting that. My first reaction was to turn him down. But then I thought, why not? We'd have fun, even if it was 'nothing fancy'. And who cares if it turned out badly? We were friends and nothing could change that.

"Yeah, of course. I'd love to." I said with a smile.

He looked a little surprised that that I agreed to it, but nonetheless ecstatic. I started to wonder how long he had spent considering asking me on a date. I didn't think I wanted to know.

Just before he was out the door, he thanked me and laid a kiss on my cheek, much to my surprise. I held a hand to my cheek as I watched him run off into the dark, wondering just exactly what had happened.

**XXXXXX**

"You're going on a date with Mark?"

"Yup."

"I didn't know you liked him."

"Me neither."

"Then why are you going out with him?"

"Would you shut up and just give me the damn pancakes?"

Julia huffed at me and brought two thick pancakes down onto my plate with a loud flop. "I was just being concerned for a friend, you know? It's not good to go into things without thinking about it."

"Relax, I know what I'm doing." Okay, I didn't. And I wasn't really interested, because my time was taken up trying to reach for the maple syrup on the other side of the table.

"You know, I kinda expected you to come rushing in, telling me that you and Vaughn had a fling in the city." She said, her voice soft. Now with her own plate, she came to sit beside me and picked up the maple syrup I had been trying to get at, using it herself.

"Why is everyone saying that? Vaughn's icky." I muttered, still reaching out.

She passed it to me when she was finished with it, and I grinned as I doused my own pancakes in the sweet liquid. "I thought you said he was hot?"

"His personality is icky. Sheesh Julia, looks aren't everything you know?" I smirked as I added, "I thought you'd know that, seeing as you're off with Elliot."

She brought herself over the table and knocked me in the arm, giving me an unhappy look. "Elliot's cute, okay? A little on the nerdy side, but he's cute."

"Whatever. He doesn't have the guts to come and steal your food."

She gave me a confused look, and I rolled my eyes in response before stuffing my face so I couldn't speak.

She stuck to taking daintier bites, which meant she had more time to go on and on about me and Mark. Even though there wasn't much to say.

"So when's he picking you up?" 

"Tonight?"

Julia's palm went to her forehead and she sighed her girly sigh. Whatever she was thinking, she was probably noting me on my inabilities to retain important details like that. But when you only lived three minutes away from any one person, who needs details?

"So you're just going out to dinner, that's it?"

I groaned, and just when I felt like smashing my forehead into the plate of pancakes in front of me, Mirabelle walked in and gave the two of us a look that made me feel like a little girl again. She was practically my mum after all. "What are you two on about? I can hear you talking from behind the counter."

Julia's head rose, and she flipped her long blonde hair out of her eyes as she said "Chelsea's got a date with Mark!"

Mirabelle clapped her hands together, and her eyes started to shine in the morning light. "Brilliant! You two would be perfect for each other!"

Was everyone out playing matchmaker?

Well, after the probing interview I got when I was at Julia's for breakfast, I knew that I wasn't going to tell anyone else about my 'date'. There was no point in facing that all over again. Okay, so maybe there might have been some good advice in there somewhere, but my attention span can be short. Very short.

Needless to say, I was relieved when I heard the sound of knocking on my door. I stumbled to my feet and smiled politely at Mark, who was standing there with a bouquet of Blue Magic Flowers.

"Aw, thank you." I said, taking the flowers from him and kissing him on the cheek. I skipped over to my kitchen, picking out an empty spaghetti sauce jar and cleaning it out for the flowers.

"I wasn't expecting flowers. But it's nice though."

"I was in the forest, and I thought you might like them. They reminded me of your eyes." His flattery caused the blood rush to my cheeks, much to my surprise.

With the flowers finally in some well needed water, even if they weren't in the prettiest of displays, Mark and I finally left my house and started to walk together towards the Diner. I was already wondering what I would buy, because the menu wasn't all that big.

"You did a really good job as taking care of my farm while I was gone." I said, trying to fill in the silent atmosphere. "I forgot to tell you that. But I'm actually very impressed with it."

He shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Oh, it was nothing. I was just having a bit of fun for the week is all. I don't have my own farm, so it was a good way to get some experience in case I own one myself one day."

I liked that, he had ambitions. And he wasn't afraid of making it known. I remember when I had been caught up in one of his long spiels on the fruits of labour. Though it had been incredibly boring after about ten minutes, it gave me a good close look at his personality.

Mark held the door open to me, and I walked through and sat down at a table with a window view. It was empty, except for a few locals who were busily munching down on a bowl of noodles. Maybe I'd get the noodles…

Mark sat opposite of me, fiddling with the corner of his jacket. I was too busy staring out the window to really talk, and I guess he sensed my distraction.

"What are you going to order?"

"Dunno actually. There isn't all that much on there." I answered, glancing at the little menu list sitting on the middle of the table.

"I know, it's all a bit bland."

We laughed, and I really started to consider if this guy was actually my long lost sibling. He might have been, though I don't think my parents would have kept secrets like that from each other for too long.

"Actually, I'm not all that hungry." 

He seemed a little put off by my sudden proclamation, especially since my recent silence told him that all I had on my mind at the moment was food. But he was a courteous date, and he suggested something else if dinner was not in the plans. "How about we go for a walk then?"

As much as I'd love to bore you with the constant bantering between two hopeless romantic friends, when I think back on it now I realize that it was sickening to the stomach to see myself like that. I feel terrible for onlookers. But I can tell you that I had a wonderful time adapting my friendship with Mark into something a little more intimate. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make me giddy.

Mark smiled at me, and took my hand as we began to walk down by the beach. Denny wasn't there, he was at Lanna's. Which meant we were all alone. 

"I really liked tonight." Mark said.

I looked over at him, watching the light shimmer in his golden blonde hair. I caught myself admiring him. I never really thought about it, but Mark was exceptionally good looking when he wanted to be.

"Me too, thank you for tonight." I said, looking away and towards the calm ocean. The light refracted off its deep blue surface, making the water look like it twinkled with diamonds on its surface. "I'd like to do it again some time."

Something inside me started to nag me when I heard the words come out of my mouth, but I didn't have a clue what it was. Because as far as I was concerned, I wanted to go out with Mark again. I had fun when we were together, and we were good friends, so what was there to say what we had couldn't blossom into something more? And, I might have gone ahead of myself by saying this, but he was a farmer too, and if we ever did become an item, he would definitely be around to help out.

And even if there was no initial attraction between us, was that ever a problem? Half the people in the world were never attracted to their partners! And even if it did end up as nothing, I was lonely. And I wanted some comfort. The kind of comfort only a romantic relationship can give you. Because sometimes a friendship just isn't enough to fill the emptiness.

Mark looked over at me with his big green eyes and smirked. "What about Samara? I'm still waiting for her to come along, you know."

I nudged him and he laughed, having gotten the reaction he had wanted. "Alright. I think I'd like that too. Because I can see something in this."

"Me too." I admitted. Maybe I wasn't insane when I was weighing up possible future outcomes, maybe Mark was doing it too. People said he was my male counterpart all the time.

"I want to take it slow, though." I looked at him with some concern, because I wanted to make my point very clear. He may have been a close friend, but he was still a man. And if he was looking for an easy catch, he was looking at the wrong girl.

"I agree entirely."

"You better. Or else Denny is gonna be on your case."

He stopped walking, lightly tugging at my hand to stop me too. I paused, turning around to face him. Mark's other hand came up to hold my other, and he looked into my eyes with earnest. "I'm glad I met you, Chelsea. You're a great friend. And I hope we can make something of this."

"Me too." I grinned, squeezing both of his hands. I laughed at myself and said, "I feel like a little school girl."

"I feel like a little school boy, who can't believe he's holding the popular girl's hand." He made me blush. Did he really think I was beautiful enough to be a 'popular girl'? I never was in school…My sister was, though.

"We better leave now. It's getting late." I said, glancing down at my watch. It was nearly midnight. Mark nodded, dropped one of my hands and began to lead me back up the beach and to my farm.

It didn't take long, and when we were about to bid farewell I felt a little disappointed. I didn't want tonight to end. So when Mark started to retreat, I called out to him.

"Wait…" He turned in time to see me lunge at him. Eyes squeezed shut, I pressed my lips against his in a firm kiss. Why? Because I'd been aching to kiss someone ever since I pulled away from Vaughn that night.

With my arms wrapped around his neck, and his around my waist, I saw something I didn't expect to see. Though my eyes were closed off to the world, and I was caught in womanly bliss, I saw something. I may have been kissing Mark, but in my head I saw violet eyes and silver hair.

**A/N: Um… I dunno. This sorta just came out onto the paper without a second thought, so I apologise to anyone who is reading this and giving them a total 'wtf' moment.**

**Oh, and someone asked for me to clarify something for them. They are meant to be Americans. However, I'd like to point out that I'm Australian, so I use Australian slang in my writing, which is pretty much on par with British slang in most cases. I'm sorry if I confused anyone by that, but I hope this clears it up too.**

_**NOTICE:**_

**If you'd like to know why it's taking me longer to post new chapters, please read the explanation on my page.**


	14. Anger Management

For once in my life, I was glad to see the end of Summer. This year's had been unrelenting in its heat, and my poor crops suffered from it. However, like the rest of the erratic weather the islands brought due to their precarious position in the world and the natural phenomena we were subjected to on a daily basis, it only took a matter of days for the sun to be replaced with an ongoing welcoming drizzle that cried out its name. Autumn!

Of course, as pleased as I was that I no longer needed to work under thirty and above degree* conditions, my animals were a tad bit upset with the fact that their days outside had become short and far apart.

Mark had made his presence a frequent occurrence, whether he was helping me with my daily work load or if he was just there to keep me company. We hadn't quite gotten to the stage of a second date, but it was clear to me that he was pulling out the glue and stamping a big sticker on me, and that it told the world in big block letters, 'Property of Mark'.

Okay, maybe it wasn't so specific. I wouldn't think Mark to be so upfront and overzealous about our little relationship we had going. But people noticed. They saw the smile on my face, and commented when they heard me hum a merry tune while I ransacked their kitchen fridge. Denny was right on my case, teasing me from the get go the moment he found out about our little date. Every time we met he'd start off by softly singing to 'here comes the bride'. That was only one of the reasons that his upper arm had a hefty purple bruise to match his bandanna.

Today was the same. Mark was eagerly waiting outside my door with the last of summer's pinkcats in hand. It was ritual for him to pluck a flower on his trip to give to me. I wondered if it was a part of some old world gentlemanly culture he was in. Though there was one small difference I had forgotten to pick up on when I glanced up at my calendar before toppling out of bed, sheets and all. It was a Wednesday, and a certain somebody would be on the island.

"Is there anything you need done?" He asked, leaning against the front door, watching me teeter from one foot to the other as I tied my bandanna on my head.

I took one look at the scenery behind him, and attempted to shrug at him with my hands arced over my head. "Only feeding the animals. Three days of rain is enough to kill my plants."

Before I had even finished putting on my headgear, he had run off across the field and left muddy foot prints in his wake. I rolled my eyes, taking a much more leisurely approach as I began the walk to the barn. His eagerness to help put me off sometimes.

He'd already gone off to tackle the chicken coop, so I disappeared to take on the larger of the animals.

I brought the brush down through the black and white patches of Franky's fur. I'm sure that if Vaughn was here, he'd be going on about how a female cow should not have such a masculine name, but I begged to differ. Cattle were beautiful creatures, with strong bodies, and Franky's personality was so feisty her name was the only one that suited.

She mooed at me, her big brown eyes full of expectancy. I smirked and pulled out the milker from my bag and pulled a stool out from the corner of the barn. While I sat there, milking the gentle creature, I began to talk.

"I'm sorry about the weather. I bet you've been missing the field. But I'm trying my best to convince Mr Sun to come out again. I think he might be a little depressed, though he must be busy in the other parts of the world, keeping them warm." Her tail swished and flicked my cheek, making me laugh. "Okay, so I haven't _really._ I've been busy you know. I've got some sort of thing going on with Mark. You know Mark, the boy who took care of you while I was away? Yeah, that's him. I've been going out with him."

"I didn't know you talked to your animals." I turned my head, still rhythmically milking Franky. Mark walked in, his shoulder's damp from the rain.

"I do. They like it. And I enjoy it to. I think they understand me... How are the chickens?" I asked.

"All good. Fitzy's out of her box."

I nearly kicked the bucket full of milk when I heard that. Goddess that chicken must hate me more than I even knew! "I'm selling that thing!"

Mark rolled his eyes. "Don't. She's just shy."

"She's the devil's chicken."

"That's probably why she doesn't like you."

"Shut up Mark."

When I had finished up on the most laborious tasks for the day, and had all my day's shipping packed and ready to go, it was time to do my daily run around and see those who meant the most to me in the world. Mark said he needed to do some stuff as well, and I absently agreed to lunch with him at the diner.

And of course, my quick dash through town lead me to the one place I felt more comfortable than in my own home. Denny's little shack by the sea.

I didn't bother knocking, and Denny was still groggy after getting up at late hour. He smiled at me as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning..." He greeted, taking a slow look out the window. His sweet, morning enthusiasm faded slightly. "Raining again I see..."

"It's not too bad, only a drizzle. And anyway, doesn't rain attract fish?"

"Sometimes... I just don't like the rain much myself." He admitted, before making his sluggish way towards his kitchenette for a cup of coffee. I went to the middle of the room, making myself comfortable on one of the cushions he had placed out in a communion circle.

He held the mug in both hands, balancing it perfectly as he bent his slender legs and came to sit beside me on another cushion. Holding the cup to his lips, his dark eyes had regained some of their usual sparkle. "Why are you here anyway?"

My mouth gaped open in feigned shock."That's no way to treat your best friend!"

He slurped at the coffee and shrugged. "Not what I mean... It's Wednesday, usually you'd be over at Julia's pestering poor old Vaughn by now."

"It's Wednesday?"

"Wow, you're a bit of a dip today."

I sighed, trying to regain some sort of recollection of the date. In my daze I wonder how many birthdays I had forgotten. "I've just been distracted is all."

I heard the clink of porcelain against wood when Denny set his mug down. Resting his chin against his knuckles, and his arm propped up on his knee, he leaned closer to me and smirked. "To busy being all kissy kissy with Marky-boy eh?" He chuckled, causing his dark wavy hair to fall in his eyes.

"No!" I called out, crossing my arms at him. It made him laugh even more.

"Whatever. I suggest you go off and say hi to Vaughn now anyway. He's probably used to having a crazy girl stalking him."

I stood up, turning and making my way to the door. "I didn't know you wanted to get rid of me so quickly. And here I was thinking our relationship was strong."

"Don't worry, I still love you."

"Sure you do."

"Don't forget to grab the milk on your way home sweetie!"

I shut the door, leaving me just enough time to watch Denny fall on his back and gleam at me through the crack in the door. "Crazy idiot." I said to myself, before turning and doing what Denny told me to do.

I entered the shop, greeted by the sound of the bell tinkling above my head. Oddly enough, the front room was vacant of a warm, smiling Mirabelle and I couldn't hear the sound of Julia's shoes scuffing their way along the kitchen floor. There were probably stacking supplies out back or something, so I decided to sit down and wait for them.

I didn't need to wait too long. Not because anybody showed up, because they still hadn't, but because I heard voiced coming from down the hall that lead to the bedrooms. And, me being the curious cat that narrowly escapes death on a daily basis, I decided to investigate.

The voices were hushed, and the walls muffled it well enough to stop me from understanding what they were saying. However, occasionally a voice would go up an octave, and would be hushed by the other. I pressed my ear to each door I passed, trying to discern the room the sound was coming from.

Really, it shouldn't have been all that much of a surprise when I homed in on Julia's bedroom door. Though, it was a surprise when I found Vaughn sitting cross legged on her bed, adjacent to an eager looking Julia. Their heads snapped around the moment they saw the door creak open, each of us sharing the exact same startled expression. They called my name, and I blinked in bewilderment.

"Wah's goin' on?" I slurred out, scratching my head as I tried to get around the moment I had just run myself into. "Why didn't anyone tell me there was a party goin' on?"

The two looked at each other, and Vaughn's eyes went stone called on Julia. He stood up with some difficulty. Sitting the way he was probably wasn't the most comfortable thing to do when you're over six feet tall and just happen to be in one tight pair of jeans. He recovered quickly, and nudged passed me without so much as a word.

"Um..." Julia began chewing on her bottom lip, her deep blue eyes looking anywhere but me.

"Guessing I just walked into something I wasn't meant to walk in on, eh?" Stating the obvious, as always.

She smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing big." She slid across her bed, dragging the sheets down with her in a crinkled mass. "You want lunch? I think mum has extra from last night's dinner sitting in the fridge. It's lasagne!"

She captured me the moment she brought up the idea of food, causing me to forget what I had just walked in to. She took my rapid jumping on the spot as a yes, and before she even got up I was skipping down the hall and into the kitchen.

Vaughn was there, arms crossed and his face hidden behind hair and hat.

"Allo Pokey." I greeted, popping myself down in the seat opposite him. He grunted in response. "What's up your bum today?"

He didn't respond, which was weird, even coming from silent Vaughn. I was expecting some sort of 'none of your business' on his behalf, but when I didn't get it, I assumed that he had suffered a stampede of young men earlier in the day. All interested in a singular woman, whose closest connection to all of them was that very cowboy.

Julia walked in, and as she opened the fridge door and pulled out a pink Tupperware container she said, "He's just PMS-ing."

Vaughn's head shot up and for the second time in a day he glared daggers at her, she rolled her eyes. Though it was an odd occurrence for me to see him do that towards either Julia or Mirabelle, the way she played it off told me it was something she lived with whenever Vaughn was in town.

"So...Pokey's a girl?" I frowned, glancing over at him. "Funny lookin' girl..."

"I'm not a gi-"

"And then you have to shave your face too... I reckon I'd be seeing a doctor about that. It's not normal. And you're so flat chested! Poor thing..."

"Chelsea..." He muttered warningly after my successful tease at his mood.

"Aw, lighten up a bit man!" He frowned at me, and I started to wonder what was wrong. I thought we had been over this, and I thought we had called some sort of truce and became friends a week ago. So why was he acting so cold?

Whatever it was, I wanted to find out. Just as Julia was about to take the Tupperware container out of the microwave after heating its contents, I grabbed two forks and asked her quietly if I could take it all and have Vaughn for a walk. She rolled her eyes at me, obviously believing that it was going to be of no help, but passed me the container anyway.

I skipped over to Vaughn and continuously flicked the rim of his hat. "Come on Pokey, you and me are having lunch!"

He didn't move. So I shifted over to the side a little so I could successfully kick at his shin under the table. "Get up."

He looked up at my scathingly, but nonetheless complied. When we were out of the kitchen, he bent down to my height and whispered in my ear, "If you want people to follow... I suggest that you don't kick at their _legs _next time."

Wow, he was snarky today.

I decided I'd take him out to the meadow, because less people would be around to pester us. Not that I would have minded the short term company, but I don't think Vaughn was in the mood to be around anyone at the time.

I took a seat in the grass, an average sized rock behind me to help rest my back. He hesitated to sit down, and when he did he sat at an angle which allowed him to avoid looking at me.

"Oi, what's up?" I asked, reaching out for the container. I struggled with the clips that kept it locked, but when I had it opened I had stabbed my fork in instantly. Vaughn still hadn't made a move. "Answer me."

"I'm suffering from PMS...remember?"

I stuffed a portion of the food into my mouth, chewing it slowly as I considered my next choice of words. I swallowed, and shook my head at his answer. "You're not suffering from PMS, but you're definitely suffering from MAS."

He gave me a quizzical look, and I shrugged at I said, "Male Asshole Syndrome."

The trees froze, the gentle sprinkle of rain paused, and Vaughn began to stalk his way to the bridge. I regretted my choice of words immediately.

I dropped my fork and ran after him, and before he had gotten too far I slung my arms around his middle and pulled him to a stop. "Aw! I'm sorry Vaughn, I didn't mean it. I didn't expect you to be so sensitive and all!"

He jerked one shoulder back, knocking me in the head with his shoulder blade unintentionally. I released him, and he continue to walk off at an accelerated pace. "I'm worried about you, Vaughn!"

On the bridge, he turned his body around so I could see his front. He brought his hand upwards, flicking his hat back and sweeping his silver locks out of his eyes. For that one moment, I got to bask in the glory of genetics, even if the look he gave me wasn't one of serenity.

His amethyst eyes focused on me. He stayed silent for a long time, and I instinctively took a step forward. My movement set him off. And he uttered the words I had least expected.

"Don't. This 'friendship' thing isn't going to work. And I certainly don't need an annoying farmer girl _worrying _about me."

I was stunned. My whole body turned frigid as I watched him stalk off, shoulders hunched over and his chin tucked towards his chest. He got angry easily, I understood that. I'd seen him blow off steam before, but I'd never actually seen him go and sever a whole relationship with someone over one tiny little thing. Even if he was antisocial, I still thought he had a need for company like any other human being on this earth.

Maybe I had been wrong?

I turned and packed up the beginnings of what could have been a pleasant lunch in the rain. As I made my way home, I could see people's faces peek out the window at me, making a connection between myself and the pissed off cowboy who had passed only moments ago. Lanna looked worried, Sabrina looked scared. Even Regis had his head at a window, though I couldn't tell what was going through his mind.

I wonder what Julia would have thought, if Vaughn stamped in. Or maybe he ran off to the forest, like he sometimes did. My thoughts were disturbed when I opened the door to my house and unknowingly walked right into the arms of Mark.

He was a little too affectionate for my liking. But the moment I felt the warmth of his body I dug my head into his shirt and sighed.

"You didn't come to lunch today, I was worried." He said, gripping on to me.

"Oh, crap... I forgot." I mentally smacked myself as I looked up at him with my best puppy-dog eyes. "Forgive me?"

He smile was uncertain, and I could tell that my eyes were giving me away. "Of course you're forgiven."

I closed my eyes and hid my head again, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart. His chin came to rest on the top of my head.

"Bad day?"

"...Bad day."

Crumpet yipped in agreement.

**A/N: **

***Celcius, cus I'm Australian. I think it's around 100F, but I'm not too sure.**

**Bah! I'm sorry this was late. I've been distracted with Super Mario Galaxy 2 (it's amaziinggg~) and instead of writing I've been playing that. Terrible, I know. **

**In other news, after 9 years they finally called the drought over in New South Wales, Australia. Yup, the last time we weren't in a drought, I was seven. And now it's raining outside, like it has been for the past week. Ah well, might explain the dreary weather in this chapter too.**

**Oh, and for those who are interested in any upcoming projects from me, I have them on my profile. I'm hoping I'll be able to finish this story before Christmas, with...lessay 6-7 more chapters.**


	15. Room For Disagreement

The sky was tinted orange in the last light of the day, and there was a warm gentle breeze in the air. Comparative to the dreary weather we had been experiencing, I was glad for the change. This was probably why I was simply sitting outside, soaking it all up rather than prancing my way around town. Occasionally, my hand would dig into the packet of jelly babies I had sitting on my lap. Damn, I love those little, squishy things.

"Um...Chelsea?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing on the roof?"

... Oh, right. I forgot about that fact.

I glanced down at Denny, who was squinting his eyes from the sun as he looked up at me. I shrugged at him. "I dunno. One of the drain pipes 'round back is pretty dodgy, so I my feet gripped pretty well... Want a jelly baby?"

He clapped his hands together and then pointed to his mouth, gaping wide. I laughed and tilted slightly to aim a purple baby into his mouth. I missed, but his quick fishing reflexes meant he caught it before it fell to the ground.

"That was horrible." He stated, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You're horrible."

After an exchange of odd looks and disturbing facial expressions that would make you laugh, I finally told him to climb up and join me. At first he looked hesitant, he wasn't one for heights. Though I managed to get him up, and his hands shook as he grappled his way along the loose shingles on my roof.

"Jelly baby?" I asked again, holding out a different coloured one out again.

He took it, and pulled its head clean off when he bit it.

"What are you doing here anyway? It's nearly six... Shouldn't you be having dinner with Lanna by now?"

He took his hands off his lap and placed them on the tiles behind him. His head tilted up to the sky, and he suddenly seemed relaxed compared to the moment of uneasiness he displayed earlier. I patiently waited for a reply, watching as he took in a breath and pushed his chest out.

Eventually, he did answer. "You didn't come visit me this morning, I got worried."

I stuck another jelly baby in my mouth, chewing thoughtfully as I watched him bring his head back up to an upright position.

"Oh? Must have gotten distracted."

"You're always distracted these days."

Had I? Didn't think I had been, but then again, isn't that being distracted is all about? I suppose I had been a little off, especially after the row I had with Vaughn. He had left without so much as a goodbye, and I felt like I had climbed a bunch of ladders only to slide down a snake, taking me right back to the beginning again.

Mark had been there to give me a comforting hug, and though I appreciated, the solutions to my strife he had so willingly provided had startled me. Originally, he consoled me in my short-lived loss, only to eventually turn it all around. He thought it'd be better for me to just...give up. Like Vaughn wasn't worth it.

But Vaughn was worth it.

I don't exactly know what part of me was telling that to me, but wherever it was coming from I knew I could trust it. After all, when had my own emotions ever let me down? Okay... there has probably been a bunch of times I could count, but what's a few mistakes to every big success in life? Nothing, that's it. And I don't care why I felt what I felt, all I know is that it felt right.

I couldn't say as much about Mark's suggestion though. In reply, I had given him a meek smile and told him that I needed to sleep it off. The next day I had planned my moves strategically. With that being said, I guess it's easier to understand just what spurred me to get on the roof.

My mouth opened, but instead of words coming out the only sound made was a small 'ah'. I don't know why, but I'd lost myself in thought once again.

Denny's dark eyes looked orange in the waning light, and I couldn't read them as well as I usually could. My best friend telepathy skills were failing me.

"Still cut up about the whole Vaughn thing?" Of course I was. I had finally made a breakthrough in my endeavour to have him smile. But could I just say that out loud? I probably could, Denny would understand. But...

"Nope." I answered, letting my eyes drift to the side. "His loss."

Though I didn't see him moving forward, I felt Denny's hand come to rest on my knee. Slowly, I looked down at his slender fingers. His dark skin was smooth and flawless, apart from a few pink scars from a stray fish hook or two. The muscles that ran close to the surface popped up as he gently squeezed at my knee.

Eventually, I looked up. He knew I was lying, I knew I was lying. Really, I shouldn't have been as ct up about it as I was. Whatever was making me feel so down had to be based on some sort of chemical imbalances in my brain. It was probably one of those weird 'girl' things that women are always on about, like in those teen books that are entirely based on the inner turmoil of the main character. I'm not entirely sure, all I know is that the overall situation had put a damper on my mood when it shouldn't have affected me at all.

"I don't like being a girl..." I admitted, laughing softly at how stupid that just sounded.

"I'm glad I'm not one. You're all too emotional."

"I suppose that's why we need a strong man to comfort us when we get like this." I closed my eyes, trying to distract my brain by immersing myself in the warm breeze around me.

"Yeah, maybe..."

The sun had finally left, and for a while the beauties of the world was hidden in twilight. Denny hadn't made a move, and by the sound of his gentle breathing I could only assume that he was planning on sticking by my side until I finally decided to leave. I silently wished he would leave, that he would stop being so protective and leave me to do some all important soul searching.

"If I feed you will you go away and spend time with somebody who is actually entertaining?"

"Definitely."

I turned around, getting ready to slide off the roof. Denny wasn't too impressed by my foolishness, and as my legs lifted up and let me fly down the tiles, I heard him call out to me in shock. My foot got caught on the gutter, sending me into an unplanned spring-jump through the air. When gravity started to work and I descended to the ground, I thanked the harvest goddess that my house consisted of a decrepit one story, making the fall a little over two meters.

And then, when my mind should have been entirely focused on making a safe landing, it diverted into a direction that was completely uncalled for. It created a scene inside my head, one consisting of Vaughn smacking his head on the front door while trying to get inside. It made me laugh, taking me away from the sudden jarring pain that shot through my entire body when foot met floor.

My legs gave out, and I fell back into a sitting position with a thud.

"Smart one."

"I got distracted."

"Whatever." Denny came down the way he came up, which was probably a much safer choice. I really needed to think things through a bit more before I ran into them.

He helped me up onto my feet and gave me a look that told me that he was now waiting for me to hold up my end of the bargain.

"Ah, right..." I mused, opening up the door to my house. "Can't guarantee on anything too nice to eat. I've only got a bunch of eggplants and a litre of cream to work with. And I'm definitely no Pierre."

Denny made a gagging sound from behind me, and I just laughed at how awful that must have sounded when you had a lovely bunch of fresh fish sitting at home, waiting to be eaten. I, on the other hand, thought it sounded quite delicious.

Okay, maybe not delicious. But food was food.

With my head stuck in the fridge, I could hear the tell-tale scuttle of paws against wood as an ever growing crumpet slipped along the floor towards Denny, whom she had become quite fond of. Denny greeted the pup with a pleasant appraisal, and I wrestled with a few scrawny looking eggplants which I planned on roasting.

"Just so you know, I hate eggplants."

"Just so you know, you chose to stay for dinner."

I wasn't surprised when our friendly, quiet night in had its own plans for me. Just when I had my arm stuck in the oven the sound of rusty hinges grinding against each other greeted my ears. I knew Mark had decided to come and see me.

"Hey Marky." I called out to him.

"Hey Chelsea."

And there he was, as usually, with a single seasonal flower perfectly pruned to give me. I took it, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Well, my work here is done."

With Denny scooting out of his seat in a manner that told me he could wait to get out of there, I showed him my blatant disapproval with one single look. He shrugged at me and said he didn't want to get stuck with the entire soppy love-sick puppy thing I had goin' on. And then he was gone with the wind.

"How was your day today?" Mark asked as he made himself comfortable at the table, taking up Denny's position for a rather bland and uninteresting dinner.

I shrugged. "Fine, I spose."

He made an audible sigh, and it felt like even his perky blonde hair had started to droop. He was one to like conversation, and I preferred getting straight to the point. With a little over two weeks under our belt, we still hadn't found the right ground to build on, and I was starting to wonder if this was all really worth it.

"Chels, you needa tell me what's wrong. I have to be there for you. But you're not letting me in." Bingo, buddy.

I sat down opposite him and reached out for his hand. "You want to know? Okay... I'm still pretty cut up about Vaughn. He's my friend."

His eyebrow twitched pensively in response, and the dark emerald depths of his eyes told me his thoughts on the matter. Not that I didn't already know.

"Look, he may not be the greatest friend in the world. But he's a friend nonetheless. Just like Denny, and Elliot and Gannon and you." Upon saying this, I realised I really needed some friends of the female variety.

"So I'm just a friend?"

"No, that's not what I meant." I thought he was being meticulous, sending me back on my own words. "I meant that Vaughn is just as important as everyone else, no matter how stupid he can be."

I could tell neither of us were in good moods. The eggplants were burning, and Mark was giving me looks I couldn't quite decipher. His own day had not paid him good heed, and had left him touchy, irritable, and with the ability to take my words in a whole other direction.

"I still don't reckon you should be hanging around with a guy that makes you so upset."

The metal tray clattered on the stove when I set it down, the purple skin crinkling under the heat. "But I don't want to."

"I do."

"Well then I think you should go."

He stood, only to come over and try to console me. But I didn't want that. It felt strange, and every time I had his arms wrapped around me, they felt out of place. As if it was the wrong person trying to hold me. So I pushed him away. "Not tonight Mark."

"Alright..." He stepped back, looking confused. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Goodnight Mark." I said dismissively, closing the door on his way out. Perhaps I was being too harsh, or maybe it was just me getting tired of his enthusiastic responses and sudden ownership of my person. A man who refused to let their woman continue contact with her other male friends was not something I looked for. But I got it, unknowingly, and I only hoped that Mark might relax a little in the future, lest our relationship be short lived.

I twiddled with a loose thread on my vest as I skimmed my way over to the couch. Though it was still light out, my little tiff with Mark and the cold weather was making me increasingly tired.

I yawned to myself, using my hands to slide my legs up onto the couch. I propped my head up on a pillow, finding it harder and harder to keep my eyes focused on the rustling leaves outside my window.

At some point, I fell asleep. It was a strange lapse of concentration, one of those sleeps where you don't truly recognise that you're dreaming, and everything you see seems far too real to be anything but reality.

**XXXXXX**

"_No Denny, I just don't think you could spend three weeks out at sea in a dingy. I can't imagine you eating raw fish, as much as you love sushi." I said, rolling my eyes at his exaggeration._

"_Fine, don't believe me. At least Lanna does."_

"_Well Lanna knows a lot more about fishing than me. So there."_

_We were sitting on the beach. The sand was a saturated gold, and it scratched at the sensitive skin in between my toes whenever I wriggled them. There was something calm about the beach today, the water barely rippled, like some distant sandbar had enclosed the cove into a lagoon. Even Denny seemed at peace, though for what reason I can only begin to wonder. _

_And then it was all disrupted by a lazy tap on my shoulder. Blood started to rise to my cheeks, even before I turned to look at my pursuer, as if my second brain already knew who it was. I felt warm, and my extremities started to tingle, urging me to swivel around and greet whoever it was. And so I did._

_His hair shone like pearls in the light, and his eyes like amethysts. The way he looked at me made me shudder, and I tried to avoid his eyes by turning around again. Only Denny was gone, and I had no excuses for my idiotic move._

"_Chelsea..." Though his voice did not sound threatening to me, something about how he held it still unnerved me. And I couldn't get my head around what it was._

_He repeated my name, and I made the painstakingly slow turn towards him again._

_He was closer than before, and I took in the full extent of the vast height difference between us. I had always acknowledged his height, but the last time I had been so close we had both been neck deep in water, levelling us out. Now, I had a glorious view of the white neckerchief that circled his neck._

"_What do you want Vaughn?" I asked, visibly trembling._

_I don't know what made me so nervous, or what made every sense I could apply heighten. The brush of the wind was neither painful nor comforting, and the glowing light now had a hint of glare mixed in amongst the warmth I felt from it. _

_Occasionally, I steal glances upwards, only to look away again when I found that Vaughn's own gaze had not wavered from me. His neck must have started to hurt._

"_Well? Aren't you gonna answer me?"_

_I tried to be assertive, I swear I did. But for some reason, it wasn't working for me. And I was usually so good at making a point._

"_I want..." Vaughn's voice sounded like velvet, having somehow lost the usual gruffness I had become accustomed to. It made me shiver._

_He took hold of my chin, and I could feel the frayed ends of his gloves against my skin. With some quick moves, he had me closer than ever, staring right up into his beautiful eyes._

"_I want you."_

**XXXXXX**

Ring...ring..._ring!_

And then came the thud as I fell off my couch in an effort to answer the phone. Confused, bleary-eyes and still kept in the thoughts of my dream, I crawled across the floor in the direction of the coffee table. I gripped the phone, yanking it out of its dock and pushing it up against my ear. Somebody was talking. Who was that, I swear I knew the voice.

"Chelsea? Chelsea are you even there? You really should answer your mother when she's addressing you..." Huh? What?

I fell onto my back and groaned in recognition of my mother's voice. She must have heard it, because she started to talk twice as fast as she had been before I answered. And that had already been too fast for my sluggish brain to comprehend.

"Mum...s-slow down. You woke me up..." I slurred, finding it more difficult to manoeuvre my tongue than first expected.

"What were you doing in bed? It's only five in the afternoon. Chelsea, were you in bed with a man? You were weren't you! It's that silver haired one you talked about. Oh Chelsea you know how bad it is to –"

Close, but not quite Mum. I lifted the phone away from her ear, saving my ear from the irrational accusations she was sending my way. Eventually, I sensed her calming, and replaced the phone back to my ear.

"No mum, I was just tired... I work on a farm, remember?"

"Oh. Well anyway, you needn't worry about getting tired so quickly anymore dear!" That's nice mum, but I'd really like to get back to my dream now...

"Your father pulled a few more strings you see. And since we know there's no way you could say no, we've already enrolled you in the local university."

Okay, that woke me up. I lifted myself up off the floor, staring hard at the wall opposite me. "Mum, what are you saying?"

"Chelsea, you're so silly sometimes! You're going to veterinary college! So pack your bags, because you're coming right back to the city. No more isolated islands for you dear."

Suddenly, I wished I had ignored the phone and stayed in my dream.

**A/N: I should not have been listening to 'Heaven' when writing that dream sequence. I suck at them enough already.**

**I feel kind of guilty with this being late. I got carried away and started to write the first chapter of the story I have planned for after this one. Though if you loved this story, I can guarantee you'll love my new one just as much. It will be far more romance based, considering this fic has been heavily friendship based. One with a cold Vaughn and a very ambitious Chelsea. **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, for some reason I really liked writing it. More than I should have, because nothing really happened, but who cares?**

**Excuse errors, I didn't check it.**


	16. Actions

**A/N: So I know I said I wanted to get this finished by Christmas, and it seems I have failed in doing so. Something brought me to a standstill, and it felt like no matter what I wrote down, it didn't feel right. So rather than posting the worthless paragraphs and ruining this stories somewhat good reputation, I took a step back and stopped. I know it's been a while, but I felt that until I could get something good down it was better to have you wait rather than read crap.**

**Oh, there was that and I have also found myself lurking in the Resident Evil fanfic topic. I finally got to play RE 5, and I couldn't help myself (I'm a very obsessive person sometimes) Wesker is just too cool to ignore. **

**So anyway, here's the long awaited chapter, and I do hope it is somewhat better than its original. Enjoy, and happy holidays!**

"I don't even understand why you're considering it." Denny spoke, and my head turned to the side once more.

It felt like my whole body was focused on darting between the four young men that were surrounding me. Each took their turn prodding me with their questions, and each time I was pulled up short, and without a worthwhile answer to sooth them with. So rather than speaking, for the most part I had opted to sitting and glancing between my companions with a look of bemusement, hoping that it would die down.

But the questions and statements kept on coming, and though I was not entirely sure how much time had elapsed from when I told them about the big 'opportunity' I was given and now, I was certain it had been well of half an hour.

Frustrated, I slapped the palm of my hand to my forehead. "Me neither, but at least I'm able to keep my cool about it."

"You aren't the one who is about to lose one of their best friends." Elliot piped in, though as the words left his mouth they became quieter and more feeble as they progressed.

I rolled my eyes at the sentimentality of his words. "No, I'm not. I'm losing all of them."

The men stopped and looked at each other. From Pierre, the man who was their the sate my human needs for food, Elliot, the quiet boy who was so easy to tease, and Denny, the man who I called my best friend in the whole world and the only person who I could openly relate to, they all held an important place in my heart. Even Mark, who was sitting silently with a miffed expression on his face, held a place. Though it was often hard to discern just how big and important that place was, it was a place nonetheless and I was not the one who was going to rip it away from him.

Denny sighed, swiping the purple bandanna off his head and wringing it between his hands. "Do you really have to do it? I mean...can't you just tell your mum no? You're life is great here." He said, his dark eyes falling to his hands.

I shrugged, unsure if things ever panned out that simply in my family. "I could try, but I doubt it would do much. My dad knows I love it here, but he's also very influenced with the idea of a stable living. And unfortunately, farming doesn't come under that title."

"I feel this is just a way to avoid a certain person." Mark quipped. I wasn't sure what was going through his head, and his emerald eyes were revealing nothing to me. Was he suggesting my distance between him, or the distance I had put in between me and Vaughn in the past weeks?

Either way, perhaps he was right. It wasn't something I would openly admit, but an escape like this was a doorway to many opportunities. And even if I ended up back on the island, I would have left enough time between now and then for everything to have...cooled over.

But that wasn't the kind of person I was. Perhaps, it might have fallen in somewhere as a second motive to back up the original idea that spurred me on, but it certainly would not work to persuade me on its own. Running away from life seemed such a cowardly thing to do. I suppose some amount of disapproval to the idea passed through in my expression, because I heard a quick apology usher its way from Marks mouth.

I closed my eyes, clasping my hands together as I stated the truth of the matter. "Vaughn isn't worth the worry. I tried, but if he's set on cutting me down so quickly every time I make some sort of progress, I really can't be bothered anymore."

"And here I was, going out of my way to apologise for my behaviour" A deep voice that could have only belonged to one person echoed out from behind me.

I whipped my head around to face the cowboy, my face showing just as much surprise as my companions. How did he sneak in without anyone noticing? And how did he know that we were all sitting comfortably in Denny's little shack?

Then I remembered he was a male, and he probably knew far more about these little get-togethers than I ever would, despite his rare presence.

I frowned, deciding that an apology for the words that came out of my mouth was not the road I would go down. For some reason, I felt like throwing another log on the fire. Maybe looking at him reminded me of the harsh reality that was not the pleasant dream I had experienced before.

"And would I be wrong to say that if it wasn't for Julia, you probably wouldn't be here?"

His weight shifted onto one leg, and his arms crossed his broad chest to show some level of defiance. "I would like to think you had a higher opinion of my own personal endeavours, Chelsea."

"I might have, Pokey." I shrugged, watching him grimace in the presence of his nickname. "But I think you lost that right."

Suddenly, I felt a hand swipe my shoulder, and I looked over to Denny glaring at me, questioning my motives behind the spike of emotions I had put forth. His dark eyes bore into mine, asking me where I had found all this agitation towards Vaughn.

He knew I had been missing him more than I was angry at him.

I blinked, and stood up in response to the look Denny gave me, and walked up to Vaughn. Up close, the vast height difference might have intimidated me. But today was not the day to curse the ability of genetic codes.

"I think we have a few things to discuss."

He nodded in response, and turned to open the door to the shack. Interestingly enough, he held it open for me to pass through before himself, a gentlemanly act I didn't expect him to be capable of. I gave one final look to all the people in the room, each of them stunned. Except for Denny, that is.

The door closed with a thud, and I was taking in the appearance of the beach. The sunlight sparkled on the water, making it appear as though a thousand diamonds floated across its surface. Vaughn was off already, his heavy boots sinking into the dry sand. I followed after him, blindly.

He said nothing, his thumbs dug into his dark belt as he continued to walk out from the beach. "Where are we going?" I asked, confused as to why a conversation I deemed to be short needed to place me at such a distance from my friends.

"Somewhere..." His voice caught, and for a second I wondered if his original choice of words failed him. "Somewhere quiet."

Somewhere quiet? I looked over my shoulder towards the fading image of the beach. I would have thought the beach could be considered quiet, but obviously Vaughn had other plans. People watched as I lamely kept to Vaughn's heels, trying to stay at pace with the great big steps he took. Then I noticed that he had come up to a bridge, the one that lead into the forest. What, was he taking me to the church or something?

Wait, why did the Church just pop into my head? It's not like I expected him to drop down on one knee and demand to wed me in the hour. That would be ridiculous.

Any odd ideas that were rushing through my head were extinguished when he walked right passed the diversion in the path that lead to the church, heading further through the forest in a direction I was certain would lead to the base of the islands only mountain. But once again, he took a sharp turn. Confused, I let him lead me. The isolation he was searching for made me decidedly nervous.

Finally, he stopped. I took the chance to try and figure out where we were. It was a small clearing, and judging by the thick layer of foliage that covered the ground told me very few people knew of its existence. The gap in canopy allowed a stream of sunlight to shine through, and I could see an assortment of pollens and other fibres fly through the air.

Leaning my back against I tree, I silently watched Vaughn. He had his head down, his silver eyebrows knitted together.

I cleared my throat, reminding him that he was still in my presence. Suddenly, he looked up, his violet eyes searching me as he approached.

It happened a little too quickly. Like, for a moment, the man somewhere acquired the ability of super speed. Though he hadn't exactly pinned me to the tree, it was on my own accord that I was crushing myself against it, his ability to have me so stunned was new to me. Last time he was this close... it had been a consensual choice.

Vaughn's breath tickled my nose, and I looked up to him. He was simply watching, observing my reaction. Slowly, he brought his right hand up to the tree's bark, just beside me head. I smirked.

"I never expected you to be so..._forward._" I remarked. It put a scowl on his face, and in response his left hand came to join its counterpart on the opposite side. Okay, now I was pinned.

"You have no idea how confusing you are." He hissed, a deep line burrowing itself into his forehead. I rose a brow, surprised. I didn't expect him to say that.

"Me, confusing?" I scoffed, turning my head to the side. I was looking at his wrist, and though it was not all that interesting to me, the way the tendons tensed and relaxed caught me off guard for a moment. What was he planning, anyway?

I decided to continue, having received no verbal response from him. "What about you? One moment you don't want anything to do with me. And now..." I looked down at the cavity between our bodies, my eyes narrowing. "... You're practically an inch away from sexual assault."

My comment somehow relaxed him, and he backed away with a smirk. He started to chuckle, turning his body to the side. "Are you saying that you'd refuse me?"

I pulled myself off the tree, feeling the loose debris stick to the back of my vest. "No, I don't think I would." I admitted. Apparently, Vaughn had seen through my occasional banter of his good looks and saw that there was truth behind the teasing words.

The level of playfulness dissipated from the man, and once again he had let himself ponder deep within his own thoughts. I didn't know what was going in his head, but the way his expressions changed told me he had trouble with it.

Finally, he let out a tiresome sigh and whipped the hat off his head. It fell to his side, and I watched as his thumb stroked the heavy lip of the Stetson's rim.

"I'd hate to admit it." He started, using his free hand to tussle his own silver locks, "But I haven't been able to get you out of my head since I went off at you. And as far as I'm concerned, it's not a good thing."

I did not know whether I should have been pleased that I had embedded myself so well in his mind, or whether I should have been offended as he saw it as an unpleasant occurrence. I settled with a pout.

My silence must have caught him off guard, and he craned his neck towards me with a disturbed expression. His lips pulled into a frown, and his eyes squeezed shut for a moment. "This is all a game to you, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

It was then I noticed his hand had lost its grip on his hat, and it lay lifeless on the floor. Despite this, Vaughn made no attempt to pick up his greatest possession, he seemed content on watching me. "It all started with that stupid game you proposed. You and your futile attempts to get me to _smile_." He scowled, as if the word was poison to his lips.

"Before that, we hardly spoke to each other. I liked it that way. I didn't need an idiot girl pursuing me, whether it was in friendship or anything else."

"That's what you get for ticking me off in a poker match." I muttered defiantly, folding my arms across my chest.

He glared at me, silently telling me that now was not the time to interrupt him. If he wanted to vent, then I would let him. It's not like he was the kind of guy who would go on pointless rants on a regular basis, so I suppose that him letting out his emotions for once in his life was a good thing.

"So even when I finally decided to let you in a little, be friends as you wanted, I couldn't handle it. It was too much, you were too close. No one is close to me Chelsea, other than Julia and Mirabelle, and that's because I've had years of reliance placed on that wall of trust built towards them. I hardly know you, and yet... here I am." His hands raised up in defeat, and his let out a humourless laugh towards his own predicament. Frankly, he was scaring me.

I made my way towards him, slow and well thought out. With a shorter distance between us, I reached out towards his hat, taking my sweet time on picking it up and dusting off any pine needles or other plant matter that had stuck to it on its fall.

All the while he stood there, watching me. He made no move to push me back when I reached up and placed the hat back on his head, nor did he have an immediate reply to my coy smile.

"If you grab the mortar I'll get the bricks, and maybe we can start building that wall of trust you were talking about."

"Hmm... I think I like the sound of that." He murmured, his eyes almost distant for a moment. But they cleared, and they were focused on me.

And that's when it happened, I brought myself up as he pulled himself down, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders for leverage into the kiss. It should have felt wrong, I swear it should have. But it didn't. And despite the fact I had only been seeking friendship; the simple gesture had awoken a fire deep inside me. And that fire needed to be fed.

Though it had not been the first time our lips had met, as there had been a few other precarious occasions that involved me forcing myself upon him, I have to say the sensation was vastly different from what I remembered.

It was a rough kiss, and perhaps it called for intimate movement we put forth. My hands reached out to comb through the available strands of his hair, tugging at it ever so slightly. I felt his strong hands grip at my hips, shoving me in closer. Vaughn was dominating me, and the headstrong side of me told me to push back and show him who was boss. But this was ecstasy, and I was in his command.

The touch of his warm lips against mine was intoxicating. Like a drug, his ability to work the situation in his favour left my brain aching for more, and even though we never separated, it was an inevitable I would rather miss out on.

But it did come, and as I listened to the soft panting that we both emitted, I smirked. Perhaps I was silly to think going so deep into the forest was unnecessary. Perhaps Vaughn had planned it all. The dark look in his told me he had. Scheming bastard.

I wanted to move on from our little break, more intent on the physicality we found that anything else. Talking could come later. But Vaughn seemed to have other plans, so I complied to listen to his queries.

"Julia told me about the university thing you have." Vaughn said, bring a hand up to pick at a lock of my hair. Suddenly, his voice seemed void of all emotion. It made me more nervous than I had been when he approached me.

"Yeah..." I frowned, shaking my head slowly. "I don't want to go though."

"I want you to take it."

His words caught me off guard, I hadn't expected that answer. I had been quick to assume that, like the others, he would plead for me to stay, because it was where I belonged. The serious look on his face told me that it was no joke, and I frowned in confusion.

"It's a great opportunity for you. You'd be a professional, and you'd be far better off with a set in stone pay check each month." He commented, reminding me of my dad. Money, was everything always about money?

"I know that. But this is my home. I don't care if I end up living off shrubs I find on the ground, as long as I live here." I stated, pursing my lips at him. There had to be something more behind his opinion, right?

"Call me selfish, but..." He took a step back, and I suddenly felt cold without his body heat near me. "But I'd rather have you in the city than only get to see you twice a week."

I smiled at him, a genuine smile. It wasn't a smirk, and it wasn't full of teasing thoughts or comebacks I could throw at him, just to bring him down. I should have been offended, I should have thought of what Mark would be feeling, but he was far from my mind at the moment. And Vaughn's selfish behaviour, as he put it, was exactly what I needed to hear, and I smiled in response.

And he smiled back.

And I had won.

**A/N: Um, not my best chapter, and I feel Vaughn went total OOC on me there. Ah well.**

**On another note, I had a certain urge to make a self-inset story of myself in harvest moon. With my brother. It was a disturbing thought, to say the least...**

**But at least it was better than putting myself in Raccoon City. *shudder***


	17. An Author's Note on Absense

**A/N: Okay, I know I seemed to have gone off the radar a bit, but I want you guys to know that I do plan on finishing this story. I know how dreadful it is to be left hanging only for the story to remain on hiatus...forever. But I sincerely apologise, as I did mention I hoped to write through the holidays, only to throw out all of my opportunities by reading Resident Evil and Harry Potter fanfictions (what can I say, I do love me an evil blond man). I hadn't written anything in 2 months until last week (after being forced to write a short story for my advanced English class) and I hadn't **_**drawn **_**anything either. I quite completely lost my mojo when it came to anything creative. Not that I'm surprised, I sort of knew it was coming after I put so much effort into this major collective artwork of my life. It sapped it all out of me.**

**That being said, I'm hoping to update for you in the near future. Balancing senior school and extracurricular activities has been a tad tough on me, but give me the weekend and I should have an update for you soon enough.**

**Like I said, I don't like leaving my stories hanging, and neither does anybody else. Lucky thing I only see around 2-3 more chapters before the conclusion.**

**As for the new story I've been hinting on for a while now, the bad news is I lost my entire first chapter and the beginning of the second, and it was something epic, I tell you. I dunno if i'll rewrite it, and after this story (and my other, Frozen Hearts) concludes, I will probably go into the world of one-shots for a little while to get back on my feet.**

**Anyway, I miss you all so much! I can't believe this story has gotten 100 reviews, as a first story, you cannot believe how proud that makes me! And I certainly hope my loyal fans aren't too angry at me after reading this, but you need to hold hope!**

**Until next time (which should be soon, after the verbal spurring I've had in recent reviews)**


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